A Sword and a Stranger
by D-Irish-L-Wolf-D
Summary: Xanaphia, a Half elf with a twist in the other half of her ansestery, has slowly cut the masses out of her life. Will a mysterious stranger she meets in the woods bring her back?
1. A Challenge Unannounced

Please note that this is very vauge from normal D&D stuff. I used my character from D&D to be the main character, but that's pretty much all that it has in common with it. Please don't post too many flames, but critisism is welcome. Also ideas. That would be awesome. thanks! 

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"WHAP!" Xanaphia grumbled and rubbed the spot on her cheek where a  
tree branch had just slapped her. Gripping her sword tightly, she sliced the thick branch in half with one easy movement. Xanaphia paused in tought, then sliced the branch in half once more, for good measure. Scowling at the sticky sap that now slimed her beautiful amber sword, gilded with silver to form the pattern of a mighty dragon coasting down the length of it. Reaching for the cleaning cloth, Xanaphia also admired the hilt, which was true to her half ansestry. The delicate strands of gold entwined the hilt, around her hand. Near her wrist was the elvin symbol for strength and beaty. Xanaphia smiled as she foundly remembered when this sword was given to her by her parents on herseventeemth birthday. She was now twenty-four, and had traveled thousands of miles from her hometown. But this suited Xanaphia. She kept walking down the well-known path. She considered. The path was well known to her, but ordinary travelers wouldn't dare take it. Rumors of monsters and demons were thick in this town. So any path that was not well lit or traveled was avoided. However this was perfect hunting area for Xanaphia. She was a rougue, and needed to keep quick on her feet and her mind sharp. The occasional monster that she met was quickly delt or barganed with. A glint shone in her emerald eyes as sounds of the busy town met her elegantly elfin ears. She strode out of the forest, shaking bits of leafs and twigs from her hair. She was always noticed because of her hair. She cursed the witch that had given it to her. It was a bright Robin Egg blue. Not good for a theif and a trickster. This was proved time and again, when Xanaphia had only evaded capture by a hair's breath. Walking through the busteling streets toward's Crusher's Shop, Xanaphia nimbley traded the well chosen stones in her pocket with the gold peices of anothers. Silently she went on trading untill she reached Crusher's Shop. Her coin purse was considerably heavier. A rare smirk reached her eyes as she rounded the corner to her enterance. A yell of

"Halt! You, with the Blue Hair!" Made her dash for the sanctity of the shop. She heard the footsteps pause at her concealed enterance, then a voice curse his luck, and walk away. Letting out the breath she did not know she had been holding, Xanaphia resumed her walk to the counter. Placing her elbows on the counter with her chin in her hands, she rang the bell, calling Crusher to the front. He appeared in his normal bear-like manner, lumbering from one of the many doors behind the counter. Sighting her imeadiately, he asked.

"The usual?"  
Xanaphia nodded, "Plus a hairbrush."  
He raised an eyebrow at her.  
"Rough day?"  
Xanaphia shrugged, "Kinda, someone almost caught me, again."  
Crusher nodded in understanding. Xanaphia had been his faithfull customer since she had come to this forest town, at the age of nineteen. The year before, the Law of Coppersea had killed his daughter, under false charges. A tear trickled down Crusher's wheatherworn face. He thought of Xanaphia as almost a daughter, keeping her out of trouble. This had to be done subtely for she was suspicious of anyone who presented assistance uncalled for. He had wheedled the reason for this a two years ago. This being that she had accepted this kind of assistance, and nearly lost her life to it, while on her travels. Ever since, that and other alike instances, Xanaphia had locked out all men in her life, save Crusher. Gathering her items in the backroom, Crusher thought that three years was long enough time to run from something. An idea sparked, but he pushed it to the back of his mind as he carried the things to the counter. Ratteling off the price, he glaced at her face. It was the normal expressionless expression that she always wore. "Show no weakness" she had told him countless times before. Laying one fourth of her daily 'earnings' on the counter, she gathered all the items into her bag. Crusher had often marveled at the elfin made bag. It was one of the few items that she guarded jealously. That, and her necklace. She had told him once, on a stormy afternoon when the hunting was bad, that herbest friendhad given it to her. The week before that afternoon, she had received the sad news of her mother's death. She turned to leave the shop, peeking out of the door to see if the Law was still stirred up. Finding the streets calm once more, she slipped into the crowd. Xanaphia headed to her next favorite shop, B's garments. Xanaphia glanced down at her clothes. The top that was suposed to be made of strips of leather, had several strips missing from her many fights and near escapes. Her skirt and leggings were in the same tattered condition. A trip to B's was definately needed. Though it saddened her to part with her earnings, she new she needed another outfit. She shuddered at the memory of those few months of slavery and bondage. Gold and some fastthinking had gotten her out. Now she was determined never to be caught without it. During those months they had taken her sword. However, once she was free, the very sword they had stolen from her was their fate. She glanced at her arms, still scarred with the marks of many whips and beatings. Striding into B's shop, the keeper soon pulled out her collection of tops, skirts. leggings and shoes. Xanaphia picked out a new leather top, in the same make as the one she wore, and a pleated light purple skirt, that was exactly nine inches long. choosing a matching pair of leggings, and a pair of flat sandels whose laces wound up her calf to just below her knee. depositing another fourth of her earnings on the counter, Xanaphia went into the changing room . Leaving her tattered clothes for mending and re-sale, Xanaphia walked out of the shop feeling infinitely better that before. Heading back to the forest, she whistled an elfin tune. One of warriors and battles and victory. Halfway towards the forest, She suddenly felt tired. She judged the position of the sun. She had at least five hours untill dark, a nap wouldn't hurt. Turning back. She headed towards Crusher's Shop. But before she reached it, she turned down a path that led to His Barn. There was where she had stayed for the years she was in Coppersea. She entered the stall that she had fixed to suit her needs. A thick rope stretched across the stall six and a half feet off the ground. Xanaphia reached this easily, with her own hieght of Five feet and eight inches. Hanging upside down, the leggings she'd chosen covering her securly. She fell asleep for a short nap. About twenty minutes in, her eyes snapped open and her wrist flew to catch the one of the foolish teen boy. His expression read unmistakabley of one like a child who had been caught with his arm reaching for the cookie jar.

"Do you like this hand?" Xanaphia growled, her long nails biting into his skin.

"Somewhat." He whimpered, visibly shaking from the fire that was crackeling in her green eyes.

"Then I suggest that you keep it away from me." She snarled at the terrifyed youth. Letting go of his wrist he scampered off. Xanaphia scoffed at the so-called bravery of the youth. If it was one thing that Xanaphia hated more than spiders, it was men who were bold past their call. Falling back to sleep for another ten minutes or so, she awoke ready for a good hunt. Flipping down from the rope, Xanaphia brushed out the knots in her hair. Picking a few strands of sparkeling blue hair from the brush, She headed back to the forest.

In the middle of think underbrush, Xanaphia crumpled the strand into a sparkley ball. Placing this bobble in a near by branch she waited. The wait wasn't long. Soon a Wolop, the none too bright bird like creature, appeared in the thicket. Drawn to the sparckeling hair, in aproched withing two feet of Xanaphia and the hair. At the last second, before the Wolop would have grabbed the hair and flown away, Xanaphia let out a peircing shreek that would have done a banshee very proud. The Wolop jumped, startled. Then fell into Xanaphia's hands, dead. The years had proved this the most humane and nurishing mehtod of hunting. For Wolops were far from rare and one meal of their meat would last a starving being two days before they felt the need to eat again. Plucking the dusty brown plumage from the fowl, She wrapped it in a giant leaf that she had found on her way into the forest. Heading back to the path, she bumped into the solid chest of a stranger.

"Oomph!" Grunted Xanaphia in surprise.

"Pardon me, Was it you who screamed?"  
Xanaphia looked up into the glimmering brown eyes of the stranger. He would be considered attractive to nearly every maiden in the world, but Xnaphia had grown suspicious of men in general, and he was no exeption. Wordlessly, she side stepped him and kept going on her way back to town.

Colm, watched as the woman walked away from him. Born from the God Alcolmist, the God of Love. Colm was used to girls swooning after him wherever he went. Thus he usually kept to the more avoided paths, like the one he had just met the strange woman on. This obvious show of disinterest presented a challange to him.

" Be warned M'Lady." Colm muttered to himself, " I never back down from a challenge." 

And with that he strode towards the town, and the girl.

Xanaphia was imensly ready to eat her dinner and go to sleep. Unfortunately Wolops prove to be very slow cookers, unless one likes their meal half raw. Xanaphia did not like her meals half raw, but well cooked all the way through. She was hanging upside down again, watching her cleverly constructed, self-turning spit, cook her meal. This allowed her mind to reflect on the course of the day. The fair amount of earnings, and the odd stranger who had come to help the one who'd screamed. Xanaphia was suspicious of him already. What was a man like that doing alone in a forest, on a path like hers? He looked more like the type who'd be fighting dragons to save "Poor little Princesses". Xanaphia scoffed. She would've been a princess. If the road of adventure had not captured her heart. The courts would not miss a half breed like her. She had other brothers and sisters that were pure elves, who would gladly take the job. Xanaphia was so wrapped in thought, that she did not see the figure approaching.

Colm, not close enough to confirm that this was the girl who had snubbed him earlier, decided to blink the rest of the way. Gathering the magic passed to him from his father, Colm took a deep breath, and blinked. In the next second, he appeared next to Xanaphia, who yelped. Her knees unlocked and she fell. Unfortunately, she fell right into the stranger's arms. When her brain had recovered from the shock, she found herself looking into those same Brown eyes. Slightly embarrassed, Xanaphia asked,

"Please put me down."

Colm considered.

"No, I'm quite comfortable here." Xanaphia scowled,

"Put. Me. Down. Please." Her patience, what was left of it, was wearing thin.

" No, I don't think I will."

Xanaphia sighed, She wished she lived in the time the gypsy had told her  
about. When men and women were treated equally. Then instances like the one that will follow, would not happen. Her elbow met the stranger's neck, in a smart jab. He dropped her imediately, and went into a coughing fit. Xanaphia somehow managed to spin in midair, and roll away from the coughing Colm, to spring up. Within five seconds of her elbow meeting Colm's neck, her glittering sword was dangerously close to his throat. 

"Who are you?" She asked, her teeth clenched together.

"Colm. Why did you do that?"

"Why didn't you listen?" Xanaphia shot back. Colm stayed silent for a moment.

"I can't answer that. But may I ask your name? you have mine." He pointed out. Rather brave of a man who had an extemely sharp blade at his throat.

"Xanaphia." She said, again through clenched teeth.

"May I call you Xana?"

"You may not."

Colm looked at the setting sun, he should be back at his inn.

"So sorry to leave like this, but I must be going." Colm said, oddly cheerfull, then blinked, and disapeared. Xanaphia stared at the space, once occupied by Colm.

"Who the Hell taught him to do that?" Xanaphia murmered aloud, before  
turning back to her,now cooked, meal.

Colm, sat down on his bed, pondering about the quest, and Xanaphia. He would definately need help on his quest. Idealy some one like Xanaphia. But she would never agree to come with him. He thought back to a person who was suposed to know a lot about quests,their supplies and such. Crusher, Colm beleived was his name. Perhaps he would know of some one willing to jion the quest. Colm decided that tomorrow, he would go to Crusher, what an odd name for a man, to ask for help. Though it hurt his ego to ask a complete stranger, he decided that it couldn't be worse than having a sword at his neck. 

The day came too soon for both Colm and Xanaphia. Colm, unused to the strange bad had had a bad night's sleep. Xanaphia, now paranoid that the mysterious Colm might show up at any time, after seeing him disapear with out warning, did not sleep well either. Crusher, who was origanally named Jerard before the Law had killed his daughter, had the interesting day of dealing with two people and their unpleasent instances with another person. The first was his long time customer and friend, Xanaphia.

"I mean,really, who goes around sneaking up on people, then trying to flirt with them? HIM apperently! So I elbow 'im in the neck, cuz I was getting pretty annoyed, he simply wouldn't put me down!and he starts coughing while I draw m sword and, of course, put it at his throat. I wanted him to accually listen to me, and if it had to be at the edge of my sword, well..." She raised her hands in a guesture showing that what had to be done would be done. Once Xanaphia had left, through her normal way of the side door, a stranger came in through the front. Crusher could always tell the newbies in this way. Any one who had spent more than two days in Coppersea used the side doors in shops like his.

"Hiya, stranger." Greeted the bearlike man. "What can I get you?"

"Some supplies, and a travel companion. I'm willing to pay by the week for the help. Idealy a rouge, smart, quick and evasive. Also with some forest and sea smarts, but who knows how to deal with people of high stature." Crusher thought this over. The description the stranger had suplied fit Xanaphia to a 'T'. Crusher could hardly hide the twinkle in his eyes. He didn't usually play matchmaker, but a fellow like this may just melt through the iron walls surounding Xanaphia's heart.

"Sounds acheivable." Crusher replied,"Just one question, Are you alright with a half-elf?"

Colm shrugged. "I have no quarrel with them. Just as long as they don't hold a sword at my throat. That happened to me the other day. She didn't give me the chance to explain myself."

The twinkle brightened in Crusher's eye. So this was the fellow who Xanaphia was so annoyed at. No, she wouldn't have, Crusher thought, she way too suspicious of men to give that chance. Would rather walk away than try to figure out excuses.

"Alright." Crusher said to the stranger. "I'll have them here by noon, come by to negotiate price. We're a city of barganers, y'know."

Colm nodded and walked out. Crusher locked the doors, and went to see Xanaphia about this offer. It was too bad that Crusher wouldn't get to see whether Xanaphia would go along with this quest. Crusher thought that any one could melt those walls, the stranger probably could. Probably.

END OF CHAPTER ONE


	2. Unexpected matchmaker

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Crusher lumbered over to the barn, to find Xanaphia still eating her meal. She had spent several minutes baffled over Colm's sudden disapearance.

"Evening, Xanaphia." Greeted Crusher. He smiled, seeing that she was still hanging upsidedown. "That witch's spell still have your sleeping pattern messed up?"

"Creative witches should not be hairstylists." Commented Xanaphia. Crusher chuckeled.

"So how did she turn your hair blue?"

"If I knew, it wouldn't still be blue."

"But how would this cause thee to sleep hanging from a tree?"

"Stop rhyming! I think it's because to turn my hair to be naturally an un-natural color, the spell had to change both what hair had already grown and the hair that hadn't grown yet, thus going deeper than the scalp. It could have also have affected other patterns turning them naturally un-natural."

"I'll pretend I followed that river of words. I've got some news you might be interested in."

"Oh?" Xanaphia questioned, dlimbing on top of the rope to be at eye level with the man.

"There's a traveler that came by my shop, he's in need of a travel companion, some one who knows the forests and how to deal with royalty."

"Well, that's gonna be hard. Not a lot of people around here have ever been around royalty. And if they have, they wouldn't hang around in forests."

"You do." Crusher pointed out.

Xanaphia paused,  
"The Courts don't miss me. In fact they kicked me out of the palace. Dye one waterfall purple and suddenly you're out with the dogs." Xanaphia scowled at the memory.

Crusher laughed, a big, deep laugh that made his abdomen shake.

"How did you manage that?"

" One potion five Googleberries and a very clumsy friend. They knocked both the potion and my purple googleberries into the fall. and POOF! purple waterfall. What a waste of Googleberries."

Smiling, Crusher leaned on the rope. Causing Xanaphia to Sway a bit on the rope.

"So, 'bout this bloke..."

"It's a guy? I'm surprised. They normaly travel alone."

"He said he needs help, and he's willing to pay weekly allowances for the assistance."

Xanaphia's ears perked up at the mention of money.

"How much?" She inquired, swinging one leg over the rope to that she could swing her long legs casually. She liked her legs, long, slender things, but with plenty of strength. Apart from her eyes, they were her favorite part of herself.

"If you're interested, come by the shop at noon for price negotiations."

" Alright. He probably won't find many better than me if he's looking to deal with royalty."

Crusher nodded, and left. The sudden less wieght on the rope caused it to bounce and Xanaphia had to grip the rope in order to keep from being flung into the fire.

The next day, Colm begrudgingly went to Crusher's shop. Xanaphia was already there, waiting for him to show up. When She saw Colm approaching the front of the shop, she groaned.

"Oh, no. You didn't tell me that it was HIM that wanted a companion!" She directed at Crusher.

"You know him? I'd think that would make things easier. Wouldn't it?"

"Not really." She grumbled. Colm raised his eyebrows at the sight of Xanaphia standing by the counter.

Before he could make any comment that Xanaphia would hurt him for, Crusher said,

"So, let's get the price thing out of the way."

"Agreed." Xanaphia said, " I won't go for less than ten gold peices a week." Crusher was surprised that Xanaphia started so low.Usually a quest of these requirements paid at least fifteen gold peices a week for assistance. Why was she going easy on him?

"That sounds fair, but what about weapons?"

"I'll take care of my own weapons. I have some things saved at Gretta's." Colm, confused by the refference, didn't say anything. Instead, he shrugged and fished in his coin purse for the starting week's payment. Xanaphia had snatched the coins out of his hand and deposited them in her purse so fast that Colm didn't catch where the purse was. This was done on purpose. If no one knows where the purse is, they cannot steal from it.

Xanaphia walked out of the shop to Gretta's. This was the best, mostly unknown place to get high-quality weapons. The fact that Gretta knew Xanaphia as well as anyone could, didn't hurt. Xanaphia bounded in, cheerfull to see her friend.

"Well, well, well. Xanaphia, it's been a long time considering you live down the street."

Xanaphia shrugged. "You know how I am, Gretta."

"Yeah," The woman answered. She had the most beautiful copper skin in the whole city. Men were forever bringing her gifts in hopes that she might find them as suitable husbands. To their great disapointment, Gretta had long since lost any interest in settleing down, especially if that ment giving up her shop. Weapons were Gretta's life. You can count on little else in life, if you can't count on your sword; was Gretta's motto. She had often admired Xanaphia's elven made sword and the designs on it. "You and your anti-social ways. Look at you! Twenty four, and no husband or home. The women in town don't think to highly of that." Gretta teased.

"The women in town are gossips. If I ever did find a husband, the news and critism would spread so fast that the Gods would have trouble keeping up!"  
Gretta nodded gravely.

"Yeah. Remember the Flower Scandel?"  
Xanaphia grinned,  
"You mean when that one guy, what was his name, George? And he decided to STEAL some roses for you, from Racheal's shop? Boy, He was so surprised to find that you knew her. Let alone the best of friends. What did he expect? You live right next to each other!"  
Gretta laughed, a warm cheery sound.

" Well, what did you come in here for? You didn't come just to chat. You never do."

"A good bow and arrow, and some daggers."

Gretta whistled, "That's gonna cost a pretty coin or two. What for?"

"I'm going on a quest. Well, joining some one elseon their quest. And I'm getting paid to do it, too."  
Gretta raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"You? Miss "I'm gonna ignore the world untill the next millenia"? I find that hard to beleive."

"Well beleive it." Said a deeper voice by the door. There was Colm, leaning against the door frame, looking everything like the mysterious strangers that Xanaphia had read about durring her days in the Palace.

"Meet my traveling companion." Xanaphia introduced Colm and Gretta. Gretta looked Colm up and down, taking in the dark hair, glittering brown eyes and strong arms.

Leaning next to Xanaphia,she whispered, "Now I see why you're going. Can I come too?" Xanaphia laughed and shook her head.

"I'll just have those weapons."

Gretta nodded and fetched some of her best. Gretta was the best blacksmith in the city. Though her business wasn't that good because most men didn't want a girl telling them what weapon would suit them best.

Xanaphia emptied over half her purse to pay for the weapons.

"The best comes at a price." Gretta reminded her.

"I know, and that's why I always come here."

"You mean you don't enjoy my witty conversation?" Gretta said a fake pout on her face.

Xanaphia smiled and hugged her goodbye.

"I'll tell you all about it when I get back, okay?"

"Okay, but I want ALL the details." Gretta winked at Xanaphia. She rolled her eyes and started out the door to gather what things she didn't already have with her. Soon Xanaphia and Colm were on their way. Xanaphia half hoped it would be a quiet journey, and half hoped not. The second half got it's wish as Xanaphia murmered the well known jinx;

"What could possibley go wrong?"


	3. Location

Chapter Three

Xanaphia walked along side Colm as they reached the outskirts of the city. Forest surounded them, and the thought occured to Xanaphia that she did not knpw what was their destination.

"Um, Colm? Where are we going?"

"To the Island city of the Gods." He said, as if he were giving directions to the nearest Fast Food place. Xanaphia stumbled a little in surprise.

"The Island of the Gods? Why?"

"So that we can get the second part of our quest."

"What's the first part?"

" Getting there." Colm said grimmly. The Island of the Gods was not easy to get to, unless you happened to have wings. It happened to reside in the middle of the ocean, several miles above the waves. Xanaphia now knew why dealing with royalty was a requirement.

"Well, we'll be dead twice over by the tiem we get there at the rate we're going." Xanaphia commented.

" You have a better idea?" Colm asked, wondering what trick this young rogue might have up her sleeve.

" As a matter of fact." Xanaphia said, rasing her fingers to her lips she whistled three loud notes.

Colm waited patiently, while Xanaphia listened intently.

"Well?" He asked. Xanaphia shushed him and kept listening. A smile spread across her lips and Colm soon heard what she was smiling at. The sounds of hooves met his ears as two animals appeared from the forest. A Gryfin and a Hourse. Xanaphia beamed at the two creatures.

"Well, what did you want us for?" Inquired the Gryfin, his voice slightly pompus, and proud.

"How would you like to go to the Island of the Gods?" Xanaphia asked, a smirk now lighting her eyes.THe Gryfin considered.

"I'd prefer some where more tropical, but I have a feeling what I want won't change things. Would it?"

"Not really, but it's more pleasent if you're all right with the destination."

The Gryfin snorted,"Like that has ever bothered YOU before."  
Xanaphia shrugged, and started to climb on the Gryfin's back. Colm was still watching the goings on a fare distance away.

"Well, you gonna walk or what?" Xanaphia asked.

Colm blushed and muttered something to his sword.

"What was that?" Xanaphia asked.

"I don't know how to ride a horse." Colm repeated.

"Ah." Xanaphia pondered this for a while,"That would make things a tad diffcult."

"You think?" Colm asked, sarcasm laced his voice.

"Yes, I do that sometimes." Xanaphia said, equally sarcastic. "Well, you'll have to ride with me, then."

"Ohh, great." The Beast complained, " My back will probably break under the wieght."

"Getting fat? Rhyan?" Xanaphia asked, a knowing tone warming her voice.

"GaH! Hardly! I'll have you know that I'm as fit as I have ever been!" Rhyan snapped, his ego at stake.

Xanaphia laughed, and extended a hand to help Colm up. Colm was still slightly embarrassed, but swallowed his pride for the moment and allowed himself to be helped onto the Gryfin's back.

"Well, let's go." Colm suggested. "We still have a few hours of daylight left. Let's see where we get."

Rhyan shook his mane, and flapped his wings, starting at a run. Though Xanaphia had ridden the Gryfin before, she was still amazed at how much smoother the Gryfin's gait was compaired to a horse. When they were in the air, Xanaphia pulled her cloak from her bag and pulled it tight around her. Colm followed suit, the biting air of flight proving more than a little chilly. 

The Gryfin's wings pounded the air with powerful strokes as the earth flew by far below them. Xanaphia had to allow Colms arms around her waist and there was no other way to make certain that he wouldn't fall to his death.  
Tilting back her head so that conversation could commence, she shouted to be heard above the wind.

"Why do we even need to fly or anything? Why didn't you just blink?"

"THe requirements of my quest state that I must be accompanied."

"Well, That's as clear as swamp mud!" Xanaphia shouted again. Silence fell, only broken by the howling wind, wipping Xanaphia's Blue hair into a frezy. Colm found himself brushing this hair out of his face more than once during the flight. When the sun had started to dye the clouds around them brilliant ambers and pinks, Xanaphia leaned forward and asked Rhyan if a rest would suit him.

"No, I usually fly dozons of miles in one evening." The sarcastic tone cut through the wind. SO that even though he was shouting it sounded like little more than a murmer. The descent proved to be so fast that once they were on the ground, Xanaphia had to pop her ears three times before the unplesent ache went away. Colm looked possitively airsick. He sank to the ground, and leaned against the nearby trunk of a tree.

"What's the matter?" Xanaphia sat down next to him. If his stomache wasn't about to go into upheaval, he would have been touched by this show of comapassion. Xanaphia patted his head, and went to gather some firewood and food. Colm stayed where he was, waiting for the nuasia to wear off. This took a considerable amount of time. Xanaphia had already gotten the fire started and food halfway before Colm managed to stand up.

"You okay now?" Xanaphia directed at Colm, whose steps were still wobbley and he stumbled over to the fire, chasing the chills of the flight away with the ruby flames. Xanaphia glanced up. Looking for all the world like the typical domestic woman. This caused an odd twinge in Colm's brain. He couldn't picture Xanaphia being a stayhome mom. Not alone, anyway. He shoved the image to a corner of his mind. He couldn't think about that now. HE had to focus on keeping the food he was about to injest from coming back the wrong way. When Xanaphia anounced that dinner was ready, Colm looked up gratefully. They ate in comfortable silence while Rhyan went about his hunting in the forest. Curling up in their sleeping bags, Xanaphia and Colm bade each other good night before slipping into the gentle rhythm of sleep. 


	4. New friends and Old friends

When Colm's head had cleared enough, he stood at last, he looked for Xanaphia. He blue hair was not seen until he looked to the sky. A Vineaxe from the forest had wrapped it's spiked vines around her waist, lifting her at least ten feet into the air. The voice that he had once heard singing beautiful melodies of Elvin war and peace was now set in a piercing scream. Panic and the pulse of battle spread through his veins. The forest creature had come silently out of the forest.Colm looked at it's eyes, blood red from either dark magic or madness. The creature was made almost entirely of vine-like limbs, all spiked and lethal if the venom that coats them got to the blood. The only cure for this venom would be the sap-like blood of the creature itself. Colm could see the blood oozing from between the vine and Xanaphia. Colm was unsure for a moment of what to do. Deciding that his medium hunting knife would not be enough to slay the creature, he drew his sword. The silver blade glimmered in the dull moonlight. With two strokes, Colm had both sliced the vine holding Xanaphia, and the middle vine. This being a deadly blow, caused the wounded creature to retreat. Colm placed a booted foot on one of the vine and, with his sword, separated it from the body. Xanaphia had since then fallen to the ground with a thump and a grunt of pain. Colm de-spiked the bleeding vine and took it to the cursing Xanaphia.

" By the Gods!" She moaned as he pressed the acid like blood of the Vineaxe to her five wounds.

"Yes, yes. Do you know what provoked it?"

"Only the Gods know that!" She hissed in a breathe as he pressed a cooler side of the vine to her wounds. "Gah! It must have been mad! I was sound asleep before the daft thing decided to play moster/damsel in distress."

Colm couldn't help but chuckle. "You did make a fine damsel. Though, you woman-ish scream could do with less cursing."

" You try not to curse when YOU have five poisoned spikes driving into your midriff." She snarled, and her final wounds were treated.

Xanaphia got shakely to her feet. Colm looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Xanaphia ordered. However, as she stumbled, Colm caught her up, carrying her like a precious parcel.

"I thought I told you not to worry." She said sternly, but the cold iron had gone from her voice.

"I don't listen to well to orders." Colm amended. Xanaphia smiled weakly. Little sleep plus a terrifying and painful experience does horrors on one's stamina. She tried to stifle a yawn, but was unsuccessful, as it snaked out of her throat.

"It's late." Colm muttered, placing her down on her sleeping mat. She nodded, and let a whispered thanks slip from her lips. Colm went back to his mat, and watched as she fell asleep. Once He was sure that no further harm would present itself, he also drifted to an uneasy sleep.

The morning came bright and cheerful, as if the horror of the previous night was nothing but a bad dream. Rhyan had slept through the whole escapade like one dead, and was slightly confused to the jumpiness of Xanaohia and Colm that morning. Colm made sure to wrap his cloak about him tightly before letting Xanaphia give the signal to start again. They traveled several miles gliding on the whistling wind. Letting the bugs and birds zip past. Colm got his first view of the sunrise over the clouds. Seeing the clouds turn from their rose pink to the lighter shades until they finally turned the white of day stirred up a peace that the warrior he had grown up to be had never felt. Xanaphia sighed that of one who, even after seeing beautiful sights every day, never got tired of them. Colm had to wonder how often she had ridden the Sky like they were now.

When the sun was blistering directly above them, Xanaphia asked to stop for a lunch.

" Food?! You don't need to tell me twice!" The hungry Gryfin called back, his voice equally drowned out and carried by the wind. Xanaphia's ears had lost feeling well over an hour ago, and Colm wasn't much better. When they were once more on solid earth Colm rubbed his ears and grimaced.

"For a while there, I wasn't sure that I still HAD ears!" He grumbled. Xanaphia let her numb face spread into a grin.

"Let's get a fire going, that'll give out faces the feelig back!" Colm nodded, glad that they could talk without screaming.

Creeping through the forest, Colm and Xanaphia searched for a suitable hunting area. Half an hour past before Xanaphia spotted a prime place for Wolop hunting.

"Quick!" She whispered hoarsely into his ear, "Hand me my bag." Colm had insisted on carrying the bags while they hunted. Causing much eye-rolling from Xanaphia, but she let him with the intention of avoiding an argument.  
Colm handed her the silver brush,and she quickly rid her hair of the few knots and snarls that the wind and forest had caused. Pulling a few hairs from the bristles. Xanaphia crumpled them like she had several times in Coppersea, into a shining ball. Placing it on a branch nearby, she whispered into Colm's ear.

"Be completely silent." As she slid onto the ground. Leaning against a tree where she could wait for hours and still be able to summon the lung power to scare the dim creature to death. It wasn't long, as the place was as good as Xanaphia had predicted. In no time at all, Colm and Xanaphia were digging their canines into the perfectly cooked Wolop meat. Colm was not surprised at the simple way She had come up with finding a meal. The Wolop meat was not known for it's speed, but that was of no importance. They would make up the time with skipping the next couple unnecessary meals. When they were once again speeding past the fluffy clouds, Silence persisted, until Xanaphia spotted the unwelcoming dark grey clouds fast approaching.

"We'll have to wait out the storm!" She called to both Colm and Rhyan. Colm pointed out a town a little to their left and near to the storm.

Xanaphia nodded and pointed it out to Rhyan, who nodded and turned slightly to head in it's direction. By the time they reached the town, Lightning was splitting the sky in angry streaks of fire and electricity. Rhyan's flanks shivered, and the streaks grew closer. Xanaphia had to remind him that if the storm didn't get closer, it wouldn't get farther either. Each time Rhyan would nod, then shiver again as the next lightning struck down. When Rhyan had fallen asleep despite the storm, Xanaphia went out into the rain and starred at the sky as the grey mass of clouds boiled above. Colm eventually came out to join her, then dragged her back under the cover of the abandoned barn they had found near the edge of town.

"You're gonna die of cold if you stay out there." He scolded her.

" Why do you care?" Xanaphia shot back, annoyed to be dragged away from the hypnotizing power of the storm. Colm Had to bite back what was in his mind and instead, said;  
"Because you know how to ride the Gryfin. I don't If you die, then I'm in trouble."

Xanaphia rolled her eyes, but stayed under the shelter just the same.

Morning came at last. The storm brought down branches and mud covered the ground. Though this did not affect the crystal blue skys. Perfect for a flight to their destination of The nearest port city. Only lying a mere three hours away. Wind once again whipped Xanaphia's hair into a frenzy of glittering blue. The moon still shone weakly on the far right as Rhyan's powerful wings beat the air. Colm held gingerly to Xanaphia's waist, keeping himself on the Gryfin. He could feel the bandages holding the healing salve in place. Silently he cursed the creature. The shriek of pain that had ripped itself from Xanaphia's throat still echoed in his ears. A sound that would tear a heart in two, and a sound that Colm wouldn't be able to bare to hear again. When Rhyan started to turn sideways to land among the trees not far from the city, Colm unconsciously held tighter to Xanaphia. When she winced in pain, he immediately loosened his grip.

Once on Terra firma again, Colm restrained his urge to start immediately to the city,and instead helped Xanaphia off of Rhyan's back. Her wounds had bled a little since the salve had been applied. But it looked like it had stopped within the past half hour. Xanaphia smiled, it reached her eyes this time and seemed to illumine her entire face in the gloomy forest. Her hair was still disheveled and Colm dug in her bag, which held an astounding number of items, for her brush. Humming a small tune, Xanaphia unsnarled her hair. Finding more than one large knot, she cursed vibrantly in Elvin. Colm found it odd that even curses could sound beautiful and elegant in Elvin. When Xaphaphia straightened up once more her hair hung about her like a cloak, reaching almost her waist. Colm remembered having to push it to one side of him while the wind blew it earnest. Colm ran his hand through his own shoulder length hair, glancing at Xanaphia when he felt the snarled knots in his own hair he asked;

" Can I borrow that? Wind's murder on my hair too."

Xanaphia shrugged and handed the silver backed brush to him. It felt odd using such an elaborate brush.

Xanaphia watched with silent curiosity as Colm took care of his own hair. Once he was done, Xanaphia told Rhyan to wait for him on the other side of the city near the sea. Rhyan nodded. Xanaphia told him to be careful, as none of them knew exactly what was around in this forest. Rhyan scoffed and showed his teeth and claws.

" I think these are all that will be needed for anything that wants to give me trouble." Xanaphia smiled.

"In two days, then." She said and started towards the city. Colm, taken aback by her words quickly caught up with her.

"Uh, TWO days? Why two? Won't we be ready after a few hours?"

Xanaphia glared hard at Colm. "You might be, but I need to see a healer. The best healer will still take at least a day and a half to heal the stabs. I'd rather not worry about internal bleeding while I'm traveling on a boat, miles away from help."

Colm hadn't thought of that. His stomach growled audibly. Xanaphia smirked.

"Not used to Wolop meat, are you? They should keep you full for two days."

"It's been two days." Colm commented.  
Xanaphia's eyes widened.  
"It has? Well, time sure flies when you're having fun."

Colm coughed and choked on air at the same time.

"FUN? You call being attacked, trying to sleep through a storm, and missing a days worth of food; fun?!"

"Could be worse." Xanaphia said in a sing song voice, still walking through the dense forest. Colm caught up to her near a clearing.

"How?"

"We could run into bandits." Xanaphia said, entering the clearing. A sword dropped at her feet from the linking branches above. About twenty battle cries followed it, and Bandits dropped to the forest floor like raindrops. Over all the noise Colm could just catch Xanaphia mutter "Typical" under her breath. She drew her sword. Colm, followed. He had blinked from town to town and so had little experience with Bandits. However, from the annoyed and bored expression on Xanaphia's face told him that she did have experience with them.

The presumed leader stepped forward, to Xanaphia.

"What do you want?" Xanaphia demanded. Resisting hard not to add "Slime" in Elvin to it. The dirty and mean looking bandit looked her up and down. Xanaphia scowled at him, He was approaching dangerous territory. Very dangerous, indeed.

With an accent Xanaphia recognized as Ogre, he spoke.

"What's a pretty thing like you doing out in here?" HE asked. Reaching to touch her hair. She slapped his hand away.

"None of your business. And I don't remember giving you permission to toch me."

The Bandit Leader hooted with laughter, Leering at her, he spoke to his men.

"Hear that boys? I need "permission". Well, I don't take orders from little women." He glanced down her again. Xanaphia's blood boiled at the lechery he was showing.

" Oh, don't you?" Xanaphia challenged.

"No." The Leader said, taking another step towards her, " I don't."

Visions of her years in Slavery flashed through Xanaphia's mind. She had vowed that she would never again be imprisoned like that again. And she wasn't intending to break that vow. Ever. She struck a defensive pose and spoke clearly, so that all in the clearing could hear her.

" We want no trouble. JUst let us pass, and you'll all keep your lives, and perhaps your limbs."

The Leader raised an eyebrow. He crowed to his men.

"Didja hear that, boys? We've got a feisty one here!" The men roared with approval. Colm, meanwhile stepped up. Placing a protective hand on her waist.

"I suggest you let us pass." He said, the menace dripping off his words.

Xanaphia glanced at him. Somewhat surprised at his boldness. Both with the Bandits and with her. But she understood his strategy.

The Leader's yellow grin faltered for a moment.

"Oh-ho! Looks like LoverBoy is feeling threatened!" The men behind him jeered.

Calm as he ever was, Colm took a dagger from his belt and started to toss it into the air. Spinning it several times, then catching the handle safely.

" Just feeling a bit sorry for those who have failed in wooing their own women and so resort to harassing those of others.

An odd feeling stirred in Xanaphia, when she heard Colm address her as "his woman". No one had called her that since she had been considered a piece of property. But the way Colm had said it was not like her former Master. She wanted to frown, but smiled instead at the furious look on the Leader's face. He cursed Colm, violently, in fluent Ogre so fast that Xanaphia only heard snatches of.

"Listen, you--" The Leader started to shout at Colm, but Colm merely caught his blade a final time and held it steadily to the man's throat. The Men behind started to siege forward, But Xanaphia raised her sword, and they quieted, seeing the well trained hand that held the weapon.

"YOU listen." Colm growled. " I will not have this woman harmed. Especially by you and your lot. I will let you go and you will let us pass. We are clear?"

"Sure." The Leader answered, but he had a glint in his eye, that Xanaphia didn't like.

With one smooth flick of the wrist, The Leader called the men to attack. Battle cries roared in Xanaphia and Colm's ears. Fast as lightning, Xanaphia dispatched Bandit after bandit to the sidelines. A slice to the shoulder or leg rendered on usually unfit for battle. Those who were unfit slinked away to tend their wounds. Colm was acting with equal speed. Blinking from one area to the next, keeping the Bandits confused as to his whereabouts. This focused them more on Xanaphia, the target who stayed, relatively in one place. However, this was probably worse for them. The rage that had built in her conversation with the Leader now had an outlet. With slashed and jabs, twirls and twists. Xanaphia held her own in the swarm of Bandits. It was only minutes of battle, but it felt like hours. Eventually the Bandits had all slunk back to the trees. Only the Leader remained. Xanaphia's sword held to his throat. Already a trickle of blood was running from his neck, not worrisome yet.

"Looks like the "little woman" and "LoverBoy" have beaten you in all fairness." Xanaphia couldn't help but smirk the tiniest bit. The Leader would have hung his head in defeat, if Her sword wasn't still at his throat.

"Will you let us pass, now?" Xanaphia asked. Her voice was sickly sweet.

" Not like we have a choice. You fight well." He complimented.

Xanaphia gave a short laugh.

" Like the Elvin Princess, Xanaphia Luna Anara should." She dropped her sword and cleaned it with the cloth kept in the back part of her skirt. The Leader's jaw dropped. Like the jaw of everyone else's in the clearing.  
One of the men moaned. "We got beat by a frilly princess." His buddy next to him elbowed him in the bruised ribs. "Does she look frilly to you?"

Xanaphia grinned at the comments. Then her own eyes widened in shock as the Leader bowed before her.

" M'Lady, I pray you forgive our foolish actions." While his words were surprising, the language shocked Xanaphia more. It was in fluent Courts' Elvin. Not just the common Elvin used among the towns people.

Responding instinctively in Court's Elvin, She asked.

"How do you know the Court's Language?"

The Leader grinned up at her.

"I was the Duke of the western coast."

Xanaphia looked at him more closely, and gasped. There he was. Under years of dirt, grime, and battle scars, was the Duke that She remembered  
from her days in the palace. He was always near the Queen, her mother, and suggesting sea trades left and right.

" I see you haven't lost your love of the sea." Xanaphia commented. " But why are you out here?"

"I could ask you the same question. Why aren't you on the throne? Weren't you the Eldest in line?"

Xanaphia nodded sheepishly. "I like to travel. Besides, No one would want a half breed like me as Queen."

Colm couldn't believe his ears. Xanaphia was next in line to be the Elvin Queen?

The Duke nodded. Knowing well, the courts' disapproval of most half breeds, and especially in the royal family. Standing once again, the Duke embraced Xanaphia in a brotherly hug. She winced with pain, then hugged back. The Duke, whose court name was Ferinheart, stepped back.

"Why the wince?" He asked quietly.

" Vineaxe. Had a nasty bit of a problem with one. It had decided to act the part of Monster, to my Damsel in Distress."

Ferinheart looked at the barley visible bandages on her abdomen, then chuckled. "You didn't take to the part, I take it."

Xanaphia arched an eyebrow at him.  
"Does it LOOK like I'd take to the part?"

"Well, " Ferinheart considered. " If you showed a bit more skin..." Xanaphia hit him upside the head.

"You are every bit the pervert I knew you for in court!" She spat with half mocking disgust.

Meanwhile Colm was almost doubled up with laughter. Once he had gotten over the shock of Xanaphia's heritage, the idea of her in a formal dress refused to work in his mind.

"Hey, LoverBoy." Ferinheart called, but Xanaphia elbowed him. "What's so funny?"

Between the bursts of laughter, Colm managed to gasp out. " Xanaphia, in a ... Formal Dress..." Before the laughter took over his breathe once again. Ferinheart didn't laugh.

"Accually, she did look quite stunning at the Summer Ball."

Xanaphia held her head with one hand.

"That dress looked awful on me. BRIGHT PINK!! Some one must have mixed it up with Annora's dress. I swear it to this day."

Ferinheart waved his hands in defeat, "Okay, okay. It was a mix up. But you were still the prettiest one their."

Xanaphia slapped his shoulder playfully.  
"You said that to ALL the women there. Don't think I didn't hear about that. More than half there are family, you'll remember."

Ferinheart nodded. "Yes, that wasn't too wise of me."

"I'll say not. You were refered to as Ferinheart the Flirt, after that."

Ferinheart smiled. "Ah, the good old days."

Colm draped an arm over Xanaphia's shoulder.

" Well, Shall we be going?" He asked amusement still twinkling in his eyes.

She shrugged off his arm and said, " I think we should. You guys should come too. We're going to see a healer."

Ferinheart glanced around at his bruised and battered crew.

" Yeah, that was some number you pulled on us." Ferinheart took her arm as they walked through the forest in a giant group. It was then that he felt the scars on her arm. Pulling her cloak aside, he took a better look at the whip and bludgeon scars.

"Xanaphia Luna Anara, what is this?" He asked, a look of parental like concern in his face.

"Nothing." Xanaphia said, checking to make sure that Colm hadn't seen them.

Ferinheart looked at her suspiciously, but kept silent. All through the rest of the forest they walked like that. The heavy silence between Ferinheart and Xanaphia only broke when Xanaphia spotted the Healer's Cabin.

"There it is!" She called happily, leaving Ferinheart to be the first to the Healer's door. Knocking firmly on the thick wooden door, Xanaphia waited for the Healer. The faint "Come in" from inside was almost inaudible over the footsteps of the group following her. Xanaphia pushed open the door. It was heavy, but it moved easily. She stepped inside where the thick scents of herbs and flowers met her in a haze. Coughing slightly, she motioned for the rest to come in as well.

Walking deeper into the Cabin, which apeared much smaller from the outside, and looked for the owner of the faint voice.

As she found by walking for several minutes into the cabin, the voice was only faint by distance. And the owner looked like He couldn't faint if his life depended on it. He was a burly man. With long hair that looked like it had seen neither brush nor comb in over three months. Towering over Xanaphia at almost seven feet, he was a man that would make anyone feel intimidated and small. He was Z. No one asked what it stood for, though many wondered.

Z took one look at the haggard group in front of him and sighed. This was going to take some work.

"Don't tell me why you're here. Just split up into groups of three. I can only heal that many at a time" No one else spoke before Z had. All were more than a little intimidated, and nervous. Xanaphia walked over to Ferinheart and Colm followed her. Slowly the groups walked into one of the many rooms in Z's cabin. This, Xanaphia assumed, was the healing room. The purpose of the other rooms remained a mystery that she played in her head while she waited. Finally it was her groups' turn. Xanaphia, Colm and Ferinheart walked in together, and were very surprised by the appearance of Z. He had changed from his gardening garb into the common dress of a doctor. He told one of them to step forward and show them his wounds. Indicating the curtained area so that they would have some privacy. Colm went first. The curtain was made of heavy furs so they were completely blocked from veiw. It took Colm ten minutes before he came back, Ferinheart went next. Ferinheart, having more wounds than Colm, took about twenty minutes before rejoining Xanaphia. She went behind the curtain, and took off her cloak. Thus the scars she had gathered before Coppersea showed. Even more when she pulled her top up slightly to let Z heal the wounds inflicted my the Vineaxe. Unknown to Xanaphia and Z Colm had re-entered the room, after he had left to check on the others who had not been healed yet.

"Do you want me to do something about the scars?" Z asked.

Xanaphia considered, it would be nice to be rid of the only reminders of her Hell on Earth, but she didn't want to tell any one. Finally she decided and said, "Only the ones on my arms." Z nodded and said,  
"I can heal them better if I know what caused them" Xanaphia glanced toward the door. She hadn't heard any one come in. Figuring that no one would hear Xanaphia told her tale. Starting from when the had been lured towards a darker bit of forest, drugged and carried far away from the path. She had woken up, the drugs worn off by then, to find chains bolting her to the floor. She told of "Them" that had used a whip, small knifes and scarfs to cause most of the scars.

"Scarfs?" Z asked, confused interest in his light blue eyes.

Xanaphia took her hand to her throat and made a choking sound to demonstrate her point. Z nodded and started healing the scars. After an hour Xanaphia came out from behind the curtain to find Colm and Ferinheart staring at her in horrified shock. Ferinheart went to put his arm around her shoulder in comfort, but she shrugged him off.

"I'm over it." She said, slightly blushing in embarrassment that more people now knew of those hideous months. Colm couldn't bring himself to speak. He had unwillingly imagined the events she had described to Z, and felt the pain. Xanaphia glanced at them, annoyed now.

"You don't have to make such a big deal out of it."

Here, Colm found his voice.

"Don't have to?" His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't used it in years, " Don't have to? Of course we do! YOU WERE RA--" Xanaphia had clapped a hand over his mouth, silencing him.

"Don't scream it to the world!" She hissed, glancing again at the open door.

"But-" He started but Xanaphia cut him off.

"Later." She said, steel in her voice.

"But-" Ferinheart had spoken this time. She Growled the same to him. Turning, she walked out of the room. This was going to be a pain in the neck.

After all of their party had been healed. Z came out of the room. Holding a piece of paper, filled with names and numbers.

I have the price for all of you. Please come up to pay."

Every one crowded around Z until Xanaphia, tired of being squashed into the persons on either side of her Jumped onto the low beams that supported the roof.

"SINGLE FILE!!" She called above the clamoring crowd. They fell silent then started bustling about to follow the order.

Xanaphia jumped down to the front and paid quickly. It was a large sum, but Xanaphia had too much on her mind to care or calculate what would be needed to make up the loss.

Xanaphia went outside the Cabin to wait for everyone else to finish paying. A hand gripped her wrist. Too distracted to punch, she merely glanced at who it was. Colm stood their, concern coloring his eyes several shades darker.

"Are you ok?" He asked, squeezing her arm gently.

"I'm fine." Xanaphia said, and fidgeted. Something was definitely up. Up until now, Colm had never seen Xanaphia fidget, but the ice cool look of calm.

Pulling her away from the door he said quietly, but firmly;

"I know something's wrong. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But if you need to talk, my hearing's fine." Xanaphia faked a small smile. She didn't really need to talk, just to think things over a little. Xanaphia nodded, and Colm slowly let go of her arm. A thought crossed his mind, but he pushed it back. It wasn't right for that.

Xanaphia watched Colm go, shaking his head as if to shoo away some insect buzzing at his ear. Xanaphia pulled a chain, hidden my her shirt, to look at the charm that hung from the end. It was a pretty thing; small pearl with a complicated gold pattern that wound around it. Thinking back to when her Best friend, Lia, had given it to her before she left the palace grounds. Xanaphia climbed a nearby tree. Needing a quiet spot to remember and not be interrupted.

Xanaphia and Lia were hugging a final goodbye before Xanaphia left. The rules of the court were that once a person left the grounds it was seven years before they could come back through. This was as a protection of the Palace. If one went to give information it would be quite useless by the time the spy would be able to go back for more. Lia pulled something out of the pocket of her robe. Lia was a Charmest, one who puts charms and spells to give certain articles special powers. Taking the thin chain, holding the precious charm, Lia held it out to Xanaphia. Her eyes widening at the beautiful trinket, Xanaphia took it and shot a questioning look at her friend.

"It's a charm. To protect you."

"From what?" Xanaphia asked. If one has a magiced article it's best to know exactly what it does.

"Oh, you know. Bugs,poison, Sickness...pregnancy."

Xanaphia choked on her breath when she heard the last word.

"What!?"

Lia shrugged, looking sheepish. "It's dangerous out there. You never know what might happen."

Xanaphia stared at the charm. Unsure of what to do.

Then Lia spoke again. "Promise me you'll wear it always... Well, not ALWAYS. " Lia corrected herself. Xanaphia and Lia shared several minutes of giggles before they calmed down again.

"I promise that I'll never take it off. Unless..." She winked at Lia and more giggles commenced. Slipping it over her head, Xanaphia tucked the precious gift down her shirt.

"Don't want it breaking on some branch." Xanaphia said. They hugged again. Just before She walked through the gaits Lia, the shyest, gentlest person in the palace, called;

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Xanaphia flashed a fake innocent smile.

"Would I do that?"

Without hesitation, Lia said "YES!" And laughed. Xanaphia was still laughing when she walked through the gaits and into her waiting adventure.

A sound from below jerked Xanaphia out of Memory Land.

Colm was calling for her, so, a ways away, was Ferinheart.

She sighed and rolled her eyes before jumping down next to Colm.

"Gyah!" He yelped in surprise. Xanaphia smirked.

"So, I'm not the ONLY one who is scared easily."

Colm scowled at her, then softened and told her the news Z had told after she had left.

"Z has invited us to stay in his Cabin for tonite. He says that the road between here and the town is too dangerous to go at night."

"What's out there?" Xanaphia inquired.

"Bandits, thieves...Kidnappers."

Xanaphia clenched her fist, eyes turning from their normal gleaming green to a dangerous red.

" You mean like the one that ahem 'Kidnapped' me?"

Colm nodded. " But we should stay." His words faded as Xanaphia turned on her heel and started walking to the road. The only thing that could and did stop her was the glimpse of something eerily familiar.

Xanaphia paused, Her eyes returning to green as she recognized a plant that she knew only grew outside the gaits of the palace. The Pinita, a twiggy bush that grew wild only in the palace grounds and the few miles around it. Could she really be that close? Picking a stem, she chewed it for a few seconds.

"One...Two...Three...Four...Five" She thought, and right on que the sweet flavor of the plant filled her mouth. She almost jumped up and down in glee. Exactly the same as the plants she'd picked hundreds of times at the palace. They were her favorite snack, and perfect to chew while lost in thought. Looking forward, she saw the plants become slightly more organized over to the east. following the slightly organized trail, she soon came to the invisible wall that protected the Palace. Knowing that a guard was never far, she started singing a Palace song.

" From West to East and Back again,  
Beneath the cloudy sky  
Will never fall  
As long as my head's held high"

She grinned as the Second chorus was sung by her old Friend Garrn.

"Inside the Wall, we place our lives  
Together great and small  
With our swords and skills and baking knives  
The Crimson Place will never fall."

Garrn came over, and stood on the other side.

"Who are you?" He asked.

Xanaphia grinned and chewed the Pinita stem, a bit of it sticking out of the corner of her mouth.  
"Don't you remember me?"

A small spark of memory shone in Garrn's eyes.

"Maybe. What's your name?"

"Xanaphia Luna Anara, First Daughter of Her Late Majesty Queen Isebella Florn Winn, the second. Great to see you, Garrn."

His eyes went wide as he fully recognized her.

"Xana!! How are you!" He paused, taking in her appearance, "You look a wreck."

"And you look like a surprised marmoset." She joked, as she had six years ago. " But look at you! A Guard! Your Dad must be proud."

"Head Gaurd." He corrected, his eyes saddened, "Dad died two years ago."

"Gods! Garrn, I'm so sorry. Ya think it'd be okay for me to come in? I know it hasn't been seven years yet..." Garrn snorted.

"Like that ever stopped you before! You snuck in and out of here so much that no one else knew the woods out there better!"

Xanaphia grinned, " You're right. Stand back!" She bent down and pushed the barrier up slightly. The Magical Red glimmer slid up ward and stayed just long enough for Xanaphia to slip through. She Hugged Garrn.

"Say, Is Lia anywhere around here?" Xanaphia asked as she stepped away from Garrn.

"Yeah, she's over in Pinita Field number three."

"Great! See ya later, Garrn. I only came back to chat, but I'll be back again soon. Ok?"

"Ok. Just try not to do it at night! Someone might think you're up to something."

Xanaphia looked at him, her well known, fake innocent smile on her face.

"Would I really do something like that?"

Just like Lia had those years ago, Garrn answered without hesitation;

"YES!!"

Xanaphia laughed and headed over to the Pinita Fields.

Lia was kneeling on the firm ground, like Xanaphia had years ago. Picking the soft twigs, Lia was humming a soft tune. Xanaphia snuck up behind her.

"Hey." Xanaphia said when she was right behind her. Lia jumped and stifled a small scream. Turning around, irked at who had scared her. Her eyes widened and she hugged her friend close.

"Xana!! What are you doing here? By the gods! Those scars!"

Xanaphia cursed. Z's healing took time and the scars on her arms hadn't completely disappeared.

"They're nothing." Xanaphia muttered, then changed the subject.  
"Hey! You're looking..." Xanaphia noticed the belly that could only mean one thing, "Big."

Lia grinned, a little foolishly. "Yeah. Almost four months now."

"Who's the Father?" Xanaphia asked, raising her eyebrow at her friend.

Lia blushed a bright red, "Darryn."

Xanaphia thought back, then nodded. "Nice guy. Awesome eyes."

"Aren't they, though?" Lia gushed, just like they were back in The Training. This jogged a memory in Xanaphia's mind.

"Hey, do you still remember, The Song?"

Lia's eyes glimmered in the predawn. " The Song? Of course! Who could forget, The Song?"

With that they both burst into song the bouncy tune flowed from their lips as the danced along to it.

Through the halls of Training  
Where the Queen Bee's reining  
Hear her scream  
Hear her rant  
See her be the Cook's Assistant!

At the end they collapsed into fits of giggles. Much as they had when they hummed this song in the halls when they saw the Queen Bee ordering her friends about.

"By the by. Where is Dear Queenie?"

Lia giggled, "She's in Bookkeeping."

Xanaphia's eyes widened. "She's The Secretary?"

Lia laughed again. A warm song like sound. "No, she's the Recipe Keeper."

Xanaphia grinned. "Well, that is an important job. I hope she's happy."

Lia solumned. " I think she is. She's also married, same as I."

This peeked Xanaphia's interest again. "Oh?"

"Yup. To Briamm."

Xanaphia gasped. "There's something I never expected!"

Lia nodded. " I know. It shocked every one when they started seeing each other."

"When did this happen?"

"About a year and a half after you left."

Xanaphia nodded. She had just gotten to Coppersea at that time.

"So, where have you been all this time?"

"Coppersea." Xanaphia said, looking around the familiar fields.

Lia gasped. "That's clear across the country! You must have had some adventures. Tell me how you got those scars."

Xanaphia gulped, and told of all the scars that hadn't been earned in That Place.

Lia frowned. "And what about those other ones?"

Xanaphia groaned. She didn't want to go into that story. But Lia pestered her all the while when they started back towards the Palace.

"Alright, Alright. I'll tell you!" Xanaphia exclaimed finally, halfway towards the Palace. She then went into a hurried tale of That Place, and what happened to her there. At the end, Lia had tears in her eyes and hugged Xanaphia tightly.

" I'm so sorry." She said.

"Me too." Xanaphia whispered. And for the first time since her escape, she let a tear trickle down her cheek. When they puled away, Xanaphia looked towards the shimmering red wall.

"I have to go now. I'm still on a quest. I'm helping a guy get to the Island of the Gods."

Lia looked impressed. " Wow, can I come with you? I need to inspect this guy. Make sure he's worthy."

Xanaphia groaned with exasperation. "He's a traveling friend. Not my suitor!"

Lia looked at Xanaphia, a twinkle in her eye. "Are you sure about that?"

Xanaphia rolled her eyes but led Lia to the spot she had come in at.

The ocean of tears that Xanaphia had kept locked away for so long threatened to spill as she hardened her defence against it. When she let that one tear fall, thousands wished to follow it. But Xanaphia could not allow that. Lifting the bit of the wall once more for herself and Lia, she started towards Z's Cabin. There the two found chaos. Everyone was running around, searching the woods and the roads. Colm was in the thick of the confusion. He stopped his frantic searching when some man or another saw Xanaphia and called to everyone else  
"She's back!!" The entire group stopped and looked at her. Colm, a very odd expression of anger, fear, and relief on his face, walked over ti Xanaphia and pulled her by the arm to a separate bit of the wood. Lia followed close behind, not noticed by Colm.

"Don't scare us like that." Colm growled. Xanaphia was quite shocked at his action and took her side.

"How so?" She asked defiance quite clear in her voice.

"You disappeared. We thought you had gone to look for the Men who 'kidnapped' you. To get revenge."

Xanaphia, even more baffled,said, "My revenge on them was settled long go." She pulled down the shoulder of her shirt to show the scar she had Z leave there. "This was the last scar they left on me, before I stole my sword back."

"Well..." Colm started, a little taken aback by this news, but regaining his breath quickly, "You should have told me that!"

" I don't need to tell you every little thing about my life!" Xanaphia snapped back. The fight that would have followed was stopped by the burst of laughter that came from Lia, who had stood silent up till then.

Xanaphia looked at her with a mix of annoyance and curiosity, "What's so funny?"

"You...You..." Lia gasped, doubled over with laughter. "You fight like a married couple."

Xanaphia and Colm both looked away to hide the blush on their cheeks. However, Lia's sharp eyes didn't miss a thing. Still snickering, she said;

"I'll leave you two lovebirds to yourselves." Then ran away, as was wise as a look of indignant horror spread on Xanaphia's face.

"We aren't Lovebirds!!" She called after her retreating friend. Turning to Colm, who now looked very embarrassed, Xanaphia said, " Let's get back. We don't want that rumor spreading. Or I'll never hear the end of it."

Colm smiled. He could just picture Ferinheart's remarks if he suspected what the strange laughing lady had spoken about. Returning to the clearing, they found Lia waiting for them.

"Oh!" Xanaphia exclaimed,remembering what Lia had requested back in the Palace grounds. "Lia, this is Colm; my traveling companion. Colm, this is Lia; my best friend."

Colm nodded to Lia, who nodded back. Then circled around Colm and Xanaphia, looking at Colm very hard.

Finally, she announced to the both of them. "I approve."

Colm said, after a few very confused moments, "Of what?"

"Never mind. " Xanaphia almost snarled, looking at Lia, willing her to read her thoughts which went something like " Why did you say that in front of HIM,for Goodness' sake??"

But Lia didn't, and only smiled, waved and turned to go back to the Palace. Xanaphia rolled her eye's as Colm looked to her for an explanation.

" Don't ask." She said. Now very tired from all the happenings that had occurred. Wandering back to Z's Cabin, she found Z waiting for her, to show her to her room. Winding down the immense hallway to a room almost to the end of it. Xanaphia peeked inside. It looked comfortable enough, but there was nothing on which she could hang upside down on. She quietly explained this to Z, so as not to disturb the others sleeping in the next rooms. Colm, who had followed them as much to listen as to be on his way to his room, commented

"But you slept normally the other day."

Xanaphia sighed. This was going to be complicated.

" That was because I was hurt or there was a storm going on. I don't know why that affects my sleeping pattern, but it does." Xanaphia waited for the question that was sure to come. Colm asked;

"How did your sleeping pattern get messed up in the first place?"

" A creative witch decided to give me blue hair. Since this not only involves the hair that has grown, but the hair that has not grown yet, it messed with some things in my brain. Thus messing with my sleeping pattern."

Colm nodded, still not completely sure of what was going on, but was willing to let it drop at that. Shrugging, Xanaphia told both of them goodnight and got ready to try to fall asleep.

Colm shook his head.

"She baffles me, sometimes." He confided to Z. Who merely nodded and went to his own room at the other end of the hall. Colm went into his own room, which happened to be across the hall from Xanaphia's, and got into the ready made bed that waited for him.

Xanaphia had finally started to drift off into sleep when she felt something tickling her nose. waving her hand at it, she felt something very hairy. Her eyes fluttered open as her suspicions floated in her mind along with desperate thoughts of;  
'please be a cat. please be a cat, please be a cat.' As her eyes adjusted, they found they eight pairs of a spider. Not, unfortunately, just any spider. Xanaphia cursed her luck. This just HAD to be a spider the size of a medium dog. Before any other coherent thought could form in her mind, a scream forced it's way out of her throat. She did not normally scream because of spiders.However, as she later reasoned, a spider the size of a dog was a special matter.

Colm woke with a start, yet again, to the screams of Xanaphia.Barging into her room, it did not take long to find her. For she was on the floor, moving backwards as fast as she could while never taking her eyes off of the biggest spider Colm had ever seen. Colm lit the lamp by the door. The sudden light making the spider scurry away into the closet of Xanaphia's room. When Xanaphia had stopped screaming, she picked up her bag and walked out of the room. As Colm followed her and started to ask where she was going, he heard her muttering.

"That's it. I'm going outside. I can deal with NORMAL spiders. Normal spiders are no problem. Dog-spiders, no. Just, no. no no no no no no no."

If Colm weren't so shaken by the screams in the night, he would have found her mutterings quite funny. As it were, he left her to calm down and went back to his own room. After checking his closet for giant spiders, and finding none, he went back to sleep.

Xanaphia hung upside down from a spider-free tree. Shuddering for the tenth time. The remembrance of the feeling of the black spider still sent shivers of disgust down Xanaphia's spine. After a long time hanging upside down in the tree, Xanaphia went to sleep.

When morning came, Xanaphia woke to the startling upside down grin of Colm.

" 'Morning sunshine!" He said, too cheerfully and too loudly in Xanaphia's opinion. Forgetting that she was in a tree, she tried to roll over, like she would in a normal bed. This was not such a wise idea, but she was, after all, still mostly asleep.As her knees unlocked to move, she once again fell. Colm, trying to hide the smile that fought to take over his expression, caught her yet again.

"You really need to stop doing that." Xanaphia growled.

"Such a treasure in the morning, aren't you?" Colm asked, still way too cheerfully. Xanaphia grumbled something unintelligible and looked toward the Cabin. A thought struck her.

" You ready to go to the town now?" She asked Colm, who was humming a tune she did not know.

Colm nodded. Oddly choosing then to become silent. Xanaphia, showing a great deal of patience for so early in the morning, asked when he planned on putting her down.

"Sometime." He answered unhelpfully.

"Great." she muttered, kicking her legs a little, out of annoyance. Unbeknowest to her, this made Colm notice just how long her legs were. Averting his eyes, Colm finally put Xanaphia on her feet. She was just starting to walk away, when a devilishly funny thought popped into Colm's head. Feeling a bit impulsive that day, Colm acted. He plucked Xanaphia off her feet and over his shoulder. Surprising Xanaphia completely, she barely had enough time to shout "What the-?" before she was staring at the ground, slung over Colm's shoulder. Colm wisely put an arm across the back of Xanaphia's knees to keep her from kicking him in very unpleasent spots. However this did not stop her from voicing the indignancy of this action.

"What do you think you're doing? Put me down this moment! You--" Then she went into a peel of what Colm assumed were very descriptive and insulting names in Elvin. Colm continued toward town, her bag on his other shoulder. When Xanaphia had tired of calling Colm very insulting names, she propped her head on her hand, her elbow carefully digging into Colm's back. He shifted his shoulders.

"Mind moving your elbow a little to the left?"

"Mind putting me down?" Xanaphia replied, dryly.

"No."  
Xanaphia dug her elbow in harder, and Colm pinched her leg. Not hard, but hard enough for her to feel it through her leggings.

"Ouch! Why you!" She spun off into furious Elvin again. She felt Colm's shoulders shake beneath her. It took her a few seconds to realize that he was laughing! This fed her anger more, and if she didn't already know what he was laughing at, she would have asked. When Colm had carried her far away from the Cabin, and almost to town he put her down.

Her temper had cooled considerably so she only grumbled in Elvin. Colm did not know much Elvin, but he did recognize the phrase " Ignorant pigheaded fool" which she used quite a lot.Sitting down, and glaring at Colm, who only smiled at her, Xanaphia started eating her brunch.

'If looks could kill.' Colm thought. ' I'd be dead thrice over.' He couldn't help but grin. He doubted she noticed, but when she was annoyed, or angry, her ears tipped back. It was quite interesting to watch them move of their own accord. Much like a cat's or horse's would. Once they were done with their brunch. Colm tried again to pick her up. But this time she was ready and darted out of reach at the last second. This gave the insensitive to chase, and Colm ran after her. Xanaphia couldn't help but laugh as the game carried on for quite a few minutes. Colm fell to the ground. Tired from all the running about. Xanaphia sat next to him, slightly winded. She stretched and yawned, making, to Colm's amusement, what sounded like a 'meow'.

" Did you just meow?" Asked Colm, and interested smirk on his face.

"No!" Xanaphia said sharply, but looked away to hide the blush.

" Yes, you did." Colm contradicted. Xanaphia's ears turned a soft pink in embarrassment.

"Ok. I did." Xanaphia said, breathing out a long sigh. "It's because I'm a halfbreed."

Colm raised his eyebrows curiously.

"Oh? How so? Last time I checked Humans didn't meow unless..." He trailed off and Xanaphia blushed another shade deeper.

"It's not like that. I'm only a quarter Human." Xanaphia muttered into her knees.

"So, what's the other quarter?"

"Well it's really a half. I'm Half elf, and half Preene."

Colm looked at her with interest.

"Preene? As in Human with many feline traits?"

Xanaphia nodded. Colm was thinking this through.

"So, why the fear of spiders? I don't think cats dislike spiders."

"They don't give a dead bird's feather about spiders. Do I really need a reason for one's phobia's?"

Colm shrugged. Xanaphia stared at him. Her green eyes glinting in the mid morning sun.

" You're not going to pull that 'I'm not afraid of anything' speech, are you?"

Colm laughed. " No. I just can't think of any fear that would classify as a 'phobia'."  
Xanaphia rolled her eyes towards the sky. Then remembered Rhyan, waiting for them at the other side of the town.

Standing up, and stretching to get the knots and kinks out of her back, Xanaphia said,  
"We'd better start for the town if we don't want Rhyan to get too impatient."

Colm nodded and stood. He did not, at first try to pick Her up again. Preferring to surprise her. Once Xanaphia had stopped glancing at him suspiciously, Colm plucked her from the ground and once again had her over his shoulder. He chuckled slightly at the exasperated sigh that came from the girl over his shoulder.

"Why do you like to carry me?Isn't it tiring?"

Colm shrugged and said "Because."

Xanaphia grumbled " Oh, That's real enlightening."

Colm smiled. She got into too much trouble when she was walking. He thought back to the quest his father had described, back on the island.

"Colm, you are too accustomed to life here." the God Alcomist had said. His deep booming voice, that could break glass for sheer volume, echoed in Colm's ears.

Colm merely nodded, expecting Alcomist to speak further on the matter. Which he did.

" Therefore. I have a quest for you."

Colm looked up, interest shining in his eyes.

"Your quest is to bring a woman with you from a far away city. You must bring her here, and she must come of her own free will."

"Ok." Colm said. The quest sounded easy enough.

"You cannot use your powers on her." Alcomist said, sternly. "A bride cannot be won through magic."

Colm choked on his words.  
"B-bride?! Father! Don't you think it's a little soon to be playing matchmaker?"

Alcomist raised an eyebrow at his sun. Even though he was not a God, he was well respected throughout the Island community.

"Depends. I'd like to see my son married before I die."

"Father. You're not going to die. You're a God!"

Alcomist shrugged. " A figure of speech."

Colm rolled his eyes towards the sky. Where was it written that parents had to be so annoying? He was, after all, only twenty five. HE had plenty of life before him. Especially for being a Demi-god.

Sighing in defeat, Colm asked " Where should I start?"

Alcomist though for a minute, then brought up a map of the world through the golden mist that covered the ground on the island.

Studying the map closely, He looked into the world closely looking for the place where he had been watching a rather interesting young woman. This Blue haired beauty had shown great courage and strength. Fighting of such brutes and still making it to such a far city.

"Coppersea. I think that will do. If you need any help with this quest. I think the man Crusher will be of help."

Colm shrugged.

" I can blink to get there, right?"

" Of course. But none of your magic to get her back. You don't want to break every bone in her body, do you?"

Colm shook his head. This would definitely be interesting. Then, he gathered his magic and blinked.

Xanaphia was now squirming in his grasp. Unconsciously he loosened his grip. Xanaphia noticed this and wriggled further. When he had let go more, she pushed herself away. Diving into a roll on the ground. She walked beside Colm for about ten minutes before he noticed the lack of weight on his shoulder. He started and looked around, to see her at his side, smirking at him.

"Thought you would never notice. Have fun in Dreamland?" She asked. Colm frowned. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't even noticed.They were coming up to the town very quickly now. They gaits were tall in front of them, casting little shadow in the noon sun. Xanaphia looked to the top of the gaits, craning her neck.

"Sentries." She said. then muttered a curse under her breath.

"Why the curse?" He glanced down at her.

" That means I can't, uh, earn back some of my money." Xanaphia said, her eyes shifted from side to side as she said this. She scanned the road, picking up small-ish stones along her way.

"What are you doing?" Colm inquired, glancing up at the sentries himself.

"Nothing." Xanaphia said, and continued to pick up the stones. Colm pondered this until they made it to the middle of the city, away from the sentries. Xanaphia took some of the stones from her pocket and traded them with the coins of another. Doing this silently until all her stones were gone. Colm looked at her with amusement.

" I didn't know you were a rogue." He commented. Xanaphia shrugged, then suddenly elbowed a man who was standing next to them in the crowd, in the head. He glared at her, but said nothing.

"Now, what did you do that for?" Colm asked, quite surprised at her actions.

"He touched me." She snarled. Glaring at the man as he walked away.

Colm looked confused. "What does that have to do with it? I touch you all the time."

Xanphia chocked on a laugh. "Hardly. He 'touched' me." She looked at him, a deeper meaning in her eyes.

Colm coughed, " Ah, yes. That would be disturbing."

"Just a little." Xanaphia said. Sarcasm chilled her words. " Especially considering that no one has touched me like that since..." She cleared her throat. Colm got her meaning almost immediately.

"That would put a bit of danger for them." He agreed.

Xanaphia nodded. She didn't like these crowds. Necessary though they were to her work, she preferred the forest to the noisy cities. They made their way through the city rather quickly, stopping her and there for supplies or food. Xanaphia wanted to stop by a weapon's shop, but Colm argued that she had enough weapons. Xanaphia argued, and won her point, saying that one could never have too many weapons. So Colm consented into entering the shop. Xanaphia browsed along the walls of weapons. Glancing over the arrows and bows. Looking a bit closer to at the swords, but she already had a sword and wouldn't trade it for all the gold in the world. However, she didn't have a decent dagger. Hers was so nicked and battered from odd jobs that hardly any of the blade was left. So she stopped by the daggers. Admiring the blades. Most were very plain or too elaborate for her taste. Then she spotted a very special dagger. She gasped when she saw it. It was made of amber, and had the same coasting dragon on it in silver that her sword had. It even had the delicate golden design of the Elvin symbol for Strength and beauty. She had to have it. She then glanced at the price and groaned. That would take days of earnings to afford. Colm looked over her shoulder to see what she was groaning at. He was no expert at matching, but he recognized the pattern on the blade as the same that was on Xanaphia's sword. He, too, glanced at the price. He whistled and looked at Xanaphia.

"Too rich for your blood?"

"Too rich for my purse." Xanaphia corrected. Colm pondered for a moment then called the shop keeper over.

" We'd like to purchase this dagger." He said, calmly to the man in charge. He raised an eyebrow at Colm. Then started to take out the Dagger.

Xanaphia turned to Colm. "You couldn't possibly afford this!"

Colm smirked at her, then drew a few priceless rubys from his purse. Xanaphia's eyes widened in shock. Was he really buying it?

Colm handed the rubys over to the shopkeeper. The man took out his eyeglass and examined the rubys. Finding no flaws that would degrade their value. He took them and handed Colm the dagger, along with several gold coins as change.  
Colm thanked the man and walked out of the shop. Presenting the dagger to Xanaphia.

"No, I couldn't possibly." She said, even though the gesture was probably the sweetest that had ever been directed at her.

"Just think of this as an early payment." Colm said. Pushing the dagger into her hands. Xanaphia did some quick calculating.

"This will take over a year to pay off!"

Colm smiled. This was going better than he had hoped.  
"Guess your stuck with me for a year." Thankfully, Xanaphia was too busy staring at the dagger in her hands to notice Colm's unmistakable grin.

One thought kept running though Xanaphia's head while she and Colm continued on their way out of the city.

Did he really buy this for me? Why did he buy this for me?

Colm was whistling pleasantly as the walked. Knowing that the object in his pocket would soon find it's proper place. As soon as they got to the sea.


	5. A Colar and Leopard Giggles

Still wandering through the city, Xanaphia's patience with the crowd was thinning. They all seemed to watch her, at all times.And she could hardly get eny earnings with that feeling all around her. This made her very cross, but this feeling much disapeared when the sea came into veiw. It was late afternoon by then and the sun was beginning to return to the watery horizon.

"Wow." was all Xanaphia could bring herself to say. It had been years and years since she had seen the sea. Only once when she had went on a visit to the city with her mother and several of the court. Xanaphia looked around, and now saw what Ferinheart liked so much about the sea. Ferinheart, who had left their company while Xanaphia was in the Palace grounds, would have liked this port. The tall sales of billowing white rose high about any tree that Xanaphia had seen. The waves out further in the water looked choppy and rough.

'This will be a trial.' Thought Xanaphia, looking with interest at the ships, but also with forboding. She had never been on a boat before, and mostly with people she didn't know, she was sure to keep her sword close at hand at all times. Colm looked eagerly out to the sea, off to the left a little. She followed his gaze and could just see the faint outline of a city against the sky.

"That's where we're going, is it?" Xanaphia asked, trying to get a better look at the city. But no matter how she turned her head, the city looked just as hazey and distant.

"Yes. That's the Island city of the Gods."

Just then, Xanaphia remembered someone very inportant.

"Colm! Before we go, we must find Rhyan! He said he'd wait for us in the woods..." Xanaphia looked around, and saw the patch of trees a few yards away. Bringing her fingers to her lips again. SHe whistled those three long notes. It took far less time for Rhyan to get to them that time. THe crowd parted in surprise. None of them had seen a gryfin before. Rhyan, for all his ego, couldn't help being a little self consious with all the odd stares. He made his way over to Xanaphia and Colm and said, in a slightly weary voice;  
"Smallest forest I had ever seen. You know that they tried to hunt for me in there? How barbaric." He shuddered.

"You didn't hurt them, I trust." Xanaphia said. KNowing that the gryfin did not like to fight if he could help it, and especially not in such a small area. Gryfins used the air as much as the ground in their fights. Xanaphia had only seen one gryfin fight. Grites, they called them. It had been the most gracefull, violent thing that Xanaphia had ever seen. It was most like a dance, only with teeth and claws. Turning to Rhyan Xanaphia quickly changed the subject.

"So, are you ready to go over seas, Rhyan?"

Rhyan bristled his feathers. Putting on his most regal tone he droned,

"If I must."

Xanaphia held back a laugh. "You must.Shall we see what ship we need to take?"

Colm looked about. There was the wise man he had seen on his last visit. He had, before going to Coppersea, met with this man to arrange for a ship for him and a guest or two.

Walking over, the man looked up from the book he was so engrossed in. He merely nodded his head and said,

"Eagle's Song, it's over to the right."

Colm thanked him and, as agreed, past a few gems to the man.

Xanaphia, Colm and Rhyan wound their way through the busy walkway of the port. Colm heard Xanaphia yelp several times, turning just in time to see her elbow one person or another away from her.

"Yeowch!! Grr, why do people need to wear shoes with such--Yeow!- painfull heels?" Xanaphia asked. Getting trodden on by several pairs of shoes. When, at last, they reached the boarding plank of the ship "Eagle's Song" Xanaphia was fairly limping. Colm had offered to cayy her,but she refused.

"I'll not have you carrying me on like I'm your bride." Xanaphia said, as serious as she had ever been. An idea glimmered in Colm's eyes, but he waited. It would be soon.

They found the Captian on the deck, giving orders to miscellaneous people left and right. When he finally spotted him, he noticed Xanaphia first.

"Ah!" He said,his voice resonating off the sides of the other ships like thunder. "So you are here. Excellent. The Lady's room is down the hall from mine, The Gryfin may sleep where ever he pleases except the deck. And Colm," He nodded at Colm,"May have the room next to the Lady's. Best to keep the group together."

They all nodded and went off to find their rooms. As Colm and Xanaphia neared their rooms, Colm gathered Xanaphia in his arms like it was the most natural thing in the world. Xanaphia, surprisingly, made a sound much like a squeak, but louder and more surprised.

Xanaphia scowled up at Colm, who was laughing carelessly. After their bags were put next to their beds to be unpacked later, They left, Colm still carrying Xanaphia. He carried her like that for the next hour or so. She scowling at everyone the whole time. After the fourteenth time that Xanaphia had asked Colm to put her down, he said, "Ok." and made as if to drop her. She sliped a foot or two. This caused her to almost scream, falling not being one of her favorite things, and fairly claw his shirt to prevent a hard landing on the floor. Colm had never intended to drop her, she now knew, but only scare her. Her cheeks flushed not only because she had fallen for it, so to speak, but also because when she had screamed, it had caught the attention of nearly everyone on the deck. The only person who didn't notice, was Rhyan, who had gotten used to such things.

"Humans," He muttered to himself, "Have such confusing ways to show affection." In his opinion, the Gryfin's way of showing such interest, the giving of a carcass that was three hours dead, was much more sensible.

Later,once the ship had made its way to the open sea, Xanphia had still not gotten her sealegs. SHe wobbled over to the side of the ship and leaned on it, fighting back nausia. Colm looked equally miserable, clutching his stomache to fend off the rolling feeling of the waves. Not much conversation was made in those couple of hours, both fearing what might happen if they kept their mouths open too long. Eventually the feeling past, to Xanaphia's and Colm's great releif. Soon both were going about as if they had been born on the water. It was not long before one of the sailors went past the personal boundaries that Xanaphia had unconsiously set years ago. She felt a pinch somewhere near her thigh, and growled. Thank the Gods that she had paid that trip to Gretta's before she left Coppersea. Gripping the handle of one of her favorite daggers from that trip, the handle was strong, wound with silver and set with pearls. Spinning around she brought the dagger up. Quite soon the bold sailor found a well kept dagger prick his neck.  
With fire raging behind her eyes, Xanaphia growled at the man,  
"Don't. Touch. Me. EVER. again."  
The sailor, who's name Xanaphia found out later was Aaron, seemed speechless. Satisfied that he had learned his lesson, Xanaphia walked away. Just before she was out of earshot, which wasn't far given the roar of the wnd and the noise of the sails, Xanaphia heard the sailor mutter something underhis breath. "Bitch."

"And proud of it." Xanaphia said, turning back to him. smirking at the horror filled expression, he had when he realized she'd heard him soon gave in to a squeak of surprise as Colm snuck up behind her and grabbed her sides. Annoyed, she turned to Colm, who smiled as if she wasn't giving him a death glare that would make the Gods shiver. Of course, she was, and his indifference to it annoyed her more. Colm still had his hands on her sides. As she realized this, she raised an eyebrow at Colm, still giving him the death glare. Colm took his hands away. She rolled her eyes and walked toward her room. It was almost time for dinner, but she wasn't hungery. She hardly was after lunch. Days past like that with the Island city drawing slightly nearer each day. The ship wasn't going to go to the island itself, but to a smaller island a few miles in front of it. Xanaphia and Rhyan both knew that the rest of the journey could be made by flight.

For thirteen days they traveled like that. Though Xanaphia sensed an odd tension around the sailor, Aaron. She past it off as a wounded male ego, but what she did not know was lay below that brused ego. Below it, was a vast thirst for vengence. Aaron had spent the past days telling most of the crew made up storys that he suposedly heard about Xanaphia. Storys of her dark magic, and how she was a temptress to unknowing sailors. By the thirteeth day, most of the crew was ready to kill Xanaphia, or at least lock her away. Two more days past, and Xanaphia noticed the stares that followed her. It struck her as odd, usually people got over her odd hair color after a day or so. On the seventeenth day, after they had left port and were only a few miles from the small island, Aaron and the crew asembled in the galley after the captain, Xanaphia, Colm and Rhyan had gone to bed. For all of this, Rhyan had taken to sleeping atop the sails, by the mast.

"So, we're agreed. Tonight we lock the dark witch up for good!" Aaron said, his voice low and full of a passion that the careful eye might mistake for revenge. Soft cheers met his words.

"Have you all got the things?" he asked, looking at his friends among the crowd. They nodded. One had a few rags, covered with a drug that would make the breather go unconsious for exactly half an hour. Another had chains, the heaviest that could be found. A thrid held a knife, an evil looking thing. THough it was silver and well made. It had a look of a dagger that had spilled too much blood in it's life. They nodded, showing the things they had gathered. Aaron kept speaking.  
"We're all clear on the plan. We're not going to kill the witch. Just take a little of her blood and burn it. When that happens, her power will not be able to work for the next five months. And we'll be out of her magic's reach."

If only Xanaphia had heard this conversation. She might have laughed at the idea of her as a witch. However, during this, she was asleep in her room, hanging upside down from a rope that Colm had helped secure across the room.

"All right, lads. Let's go capture a witch!" Aaron said, an evil glint in his eye equal to that given off by the dagger.

The men cheered, and went to Xanaphia's room.

Silently, they crept along the passage. Only the low glow of Aaron's candle kept it from being pitch black. When they found and opened Xanaphia's door some couldn't help but chuckle, others were just plainly confused. Xanaphia was hanging by her knees on the rope. Her face only slightly flushed and her hair hanging down like a tall waterfall. Aaron motioned for some of the men to be behind her, so that they could carry her easier once she was knocked out. Once the men were in position, Aaron took the rag with the drugs and pressed it to Xanaphia's mouth and nose. She jerked, her eyes snapping awake. She reached for her daggers, but before her hand made so much as a twitch, the drugs took affect and she slipped into darkness. From there the men took Xanaphia, tied her up and left her in the dark passage while they went to do the same thing to Colm, and Rhyan. Finally they carried all three of them down into the brig and chained and shackeled them. Leaving them in the dark, Aaron was the last one out. When he reached the door at the top of the room, he looked down. He muttered a curse at Xanaphia, then climbed the rest of the way out and locked the door.

Twenty minutes later, Xanphia jerked awake. Only remembering a pair of upside down eyes in a dark room. She was no longer tied with rope, but each of the chains were bolted to the floor. Just like... Xanaphia's eyes started to go red around the edges as the memory swept through her mind. SHe fought it. Thinking of every other happy memory possible. THis worked, and the red haze weakened. Colm stirred then, Snapping awake just as Xanaphia had done.

"Oh, my head." Colm said, and tried to lift his arm, but found it strangely weighed down. He looked around and spotted Xanaphia. Colm only had his legs shackled, but his arms were tied behind his back with rope. HE tried to walk over to Xanaphia who was still struggling to keep the memory at bay. His chains were just long enough that if she walked a little, too, they would be able to touch. Well, Xanaphia would be able to if she stretched out her hand.

"What happened?" Colm asked, Rhyan hadn't woken up yet, and Colm was very uneasy about chains.

"I don't know, I remember someone touching the back of my head, so I woke up. I saw someone in my room, and a cloth was over my mouth and nose. It smelled awefull."

Colm nodded, peicing it together. "I remember something along those lines aswell. Why did they chain you the heaviest?"

Colm nodded towards Xanphia's chains. On a habit, she looked down and saw the chains. Was her mind tricking her? Or was their really a line of blood drippign from her arm? There was, and that was the trigger into that horror filled memory. Colm was watching Xanaphia's face, now. As Xanaphia's limbs began to shake, he saw her eyes go completely red.

An animalistic howl of pain escaped Xanaphia's lips. She was no longer in the brig of a ship, heading for the Island of the Gods. She was back in that hell of a cave, shackled to the floor. The silouette of Him flickered on the wall. The fire in the grait distorting it to look more demon like than anything else. Xanphia cried out in pain as the whip cracked down on her bare side. SHe tried to cover herself with her arms, but the chains were too heavy to lift them more than a few inches. Again, and again the whip cracked down. Each crack followed by some sound of pain. Then it stopped, but only for a moment. Then the acid started to splash over her cuts and welts. burning them into her skin. Another howl like scream echoed off the walls of the cave.

Colm watched in horror, as Xanaphia flinched and twitched on the ground, each flinch followed by a cry of pain. Had she gone mad? She had the madness' Red in her eyes. Another scream tore itself from her throat as she wrythed on the filthy floor.

Back in Xanaphia's mind, He was setting the acid aside, reaching instead for a heated iron. Xanaphia's eyes went wide. He lightly touched it to her side and the pain of the red hot metal was so that Xanaphia jumped back to the very end of her chains. He laughed, an ice cold sound. Though the thought crossed her mind that it had a hint of madness about it. Indeed, his eyes had the same red that hers now wore. Colm jumped a little as Xanaphia jerked back to the end of her chains. She clutched her side, as if she had been severly hurt in that place.

Xanaphia wimpered, no longer the warrior she had trained herself to be, but the eighteen and a half year old princess. The whip and the acid stopped and He walked over to her. Her sides shaking with exaughsten and her lip trembled. The pain was so much! Every nerve screamed even though the whip had been set aside. Later Xanaphia realized that this was a side affect of the acid. He stroked her hair. It fasinated him, such an interesting color. She flinched away, not wanting to be touched then or ever again. Her hair was now streaked and matted with blood. Her blood, and the blood of however many victims this madman had had before her that mingled on the floor.

Colm was watching helplessly on the side, fearing to touch her. Her screams were like nothing he had ever heard. Screams of pure pain and hopelessness. It was durring one of these screams that Rhyan finally awoke. Shacking his head to clear the drugs from it, he looked about. Imediately he spotted Xanaphia and Colm, both in chains. Xanaphia's were bolted to the floor in the middle of the room, and Colms were laced through a ring on one of the walls. Rhyan looked around. He did not seem to be chain. He tried to walk but before twenty steps could be taken, he felt a jerk on his neck. So he was chained. A metal colar was around his neck. He couldn't see what type of metal it was, only feel that it was cold. Again he looked at Xanaphia who was screaming and wrything on the floor. Then she was still staring at an imaginary person, flinching her head as if someone had touched her face or hair. She then screamed something about the iron, then flinched away violently, a scream of pain peircing the air. This continued on for another half an hour. In Xanaphia's mind this was the better part of four months. It was in the last ten minutes, or the last month, in Xanphia's mind, when the crew started walking about. The first out was eric, Aaron's right hand man. He heard Xanaphia's screams and bent over the Brig's door, which was a trap door in the deck.

"Hey!" He shouted down, after checking that the captain was no where in hearing distance. " Quiet her! She'll wake the captain!"

Colm looked up at the man.  
"It's the chains and shackles! They're giving her the Madness! Take them off and she'll quiet right down." Eric considered this.

"All right. Both of you, get to the walls." Colm and Rhyan did as he said. Eric scurried down the rope ladder. The key to the locks shining on his belt. As he was unlocking Xanaphia's twitching wrists and ankles, he glanced over to Colm and Rhyan.

"I know you can see the keys. Don't get any ideas. They change persons every hour." Colm looked beyond him to Xanaphia. She had stopped screaming since the chains had come off her wrists, but the red hadn't gone from her eyes yet. Eric started towards the ladder, but Colm said,  
"Wait! Couldn't you untie my hands first? If she starts screaming again, better for me to be able to do it instead of wasting time waiting for some one, like the captain, to hear her."

Eric considered this well. Finally he said, "All right. Y'all wouldn't be able to get out of here without the gryfin anyway."

As Colm's hands were free, Eric scampered up the ladder, bringing it up with him as he did. Colm went to Xanaphia's side. She was still shivering and the red was slowly starting to fade. Colm took her hand and tugged her over to him. She whimpered like she had when she was controlled by the madness, but went with him. He sat down with her, and as she started to recognize where she was, he hugged her. The surprising thing to Rhyan was that she let him. Xanaphia let herself be enveloped by the warmth and safety she felt there and finally, after years and years of holding them back, let the tears fall. The sea of tears spilled over her face and soon she was sobbing with the force of them. Her entire body trembling with each gasping breathe. Colm let her sob untill her gasping breathes gave way to a gentle sleep. reaching around her to his pocket, he took out the thing he had bought for her in the seaside city. He turned it over to see the engraving that he had put there, though he did not know what had possessed him to do so. He looked back at Xanaphia, who was now sleeping peacefully beside him. It had wrenched at his heart to hear her scream with such pain and to flinch away from something only she could see. It was then that Rhyan explained about when he had met her, when madness from months of that treatment had blurred her vision. He first saw her running from the cave like the very hounds of hell were at her heels, wearing naught but the scraps of clothing that had once been a beautiful dress, before the whip and bludgen had ripped it to peices. Rhyan still didn't know how Xanaphia had escaped, if she had been in chains almost identical to the ones in the brig. For they must have been to cause such a vivid reliving of the event. Colm nodded and listened while Rhyan went on with his part of the tale. When he was done, Xanaphia had began to noticbley stir. WHen she sat up, there was no sign of sleep in her eyes. She looked at Colm, and said,  
"So, I guess you'll be wanting my side of the story now." Colm looked at her in amazement.

"You don't have to. I mean if it'll be too much for you..." His voice trailed off when he caught Xanaphia's glare.

"It won't be too much. Just keep those chains away from me." She took a deep breathe, letting it out slowly to calm herself down. When she had done this several times, she looked up at Rhyan and Colm.

"Ok. I'm ready. You might not want to hear everything that I'm going to tell you, but you wanted to know." With that she began.

"I was on my way to Coppersea from the Palace-" But she was interupted by Rhyan, "You lived in a Palace?"

"The Elf Royal Palace, now do you want to hear the tale or ask questions?"

"Both."

"Well, then wait until the end of it. "  
She continued.

"So I was going to Coppersea. I was almost there, just past Emerald Glave when He, dressed in old farmer clothes called me over to ask for my help. After I had walked out of sight of the road, he forced a rag over my mouth and nose. It smelled as bad as the one the crew people put over us. I don't know how long the drug lasted, but it was long enough for him to get me into the cave and chained down. Like that." she nodded toward the chain rings in the floor. " At first I thought there were two of them, but then the whippings started and I couldn't have told the difference if they had red and green hair. He was more than slightly mad. He had the red around the inside of his eyes most of the time, and sometimes his whole eye would be red. It was when this happened that the whippings and beating were especially cruel. Also when he used the acid. He kept calling me Raechelle. I think she was his wife at some point because he kept... doing things to me that..." Her voice trailed off for a moment while she shuddered at the memory.  
"He didn't always use the whip and the stick. Though I wish he had. Sometimes he used a candle. Put it right on my skin and let the scalding wax drip onto me. Of course he set it in such a way that this happened." She pulled up her shirt a little bit so that Colm and Rhyan could see the bull's eye shaped scars on her abdomen. "Obviously Raechelle wasn't a very faithfull wife. He kept calling me names. Like wench, and whore. Also kept talking about 'That Man'. If he ever saw me with 'That Man' again I'd wish I were dead. Of course I knew I was going to die there. I knew it from the first whipping. Only he wouldn't kill me straight off and be done with it. He was going to kill me little by little. Day by day. Weeks and weeks this went on. The whip, the stick, the acid, the candle and the iron. Oh, I dreaded the iron he'd get it so hot that it almost went yellow and then he brandish it at me as if I were a stupid animal, or worse." Colm flinched at the mention of the iron, then gaped when she showed them the scars it had caused on her sides and back. One, on her side looked fairly fresh. Colm asked about this and Xanaphia thought about it.

"Those must be the ones he inflicted on me while I was reliving it. So, back to the tale. each time with the stick, he wouldn't stop untill I lost almost a pint of blood, then he would throw the acid on me to stop the bleeding. I hated that acid. THough it stopped the bleeding most of the time, it made every nerve scream in agony. After about a week, all the days seemed top merge into one. different orders of torture until I blacked out. Then, I guess he stopped. He wouldn't want me to miss out on all the 'fun' as he called it. Sometimes he would wake me with disgusting smelling salts and say " Raechelle, we're going to have so much fun today. Do you know what fun we're going to have?" And then he'd pull out the whip, more likely than not. He really liked that whip. It hardly ever left his side. When he got bored with the whip, he'd amuse himself with the stick."

"But I thought he didn't beat you up after you lost a lot of blood" Colm interjected. Xanaphia looked at him, her usually bright green eyes now looking hollow and tired.

"There is more than one way to torture with that than beatings." She said. A painfull sadness making her voice quiver ever so slightly.

Xanaphia took a deep breathe and continued on.

"It went on Day and night. He slept sometimes, then I would catch a few winks before the crack of that aweful whip woke me with a sharp sting. After a while, I was more than half mad with it. Then I found a peace inside myself. A strangely Feline peace. I called on it, and got myself free."

"How did that come about?" Colm asked. A whisper of awe in his voice.

"I'll show you." Xanaphia said, a small smile curving her lips. With that, she closed her eyes, and called to that feline. Her body began to lengthen and her arms and legs changed. Silver white fur covered her and her hands and feet turned to padded paws. Soon what sat their wasn't Xanaphia in her Human form. She was in her Feline form. Colm gaped at her.

"You never asked what the other half of my heritage was. I'm half Preene." Xanaphia explained. Colm was still silent. Though one couldn't see it through the fur, Xanaphia blushed. She hadn't shown anyone her other form. Until that night in the cave she didn't even know it existed.  
"Say something." Xanaphia said softly, looking at Colm.

"Wow." was all he could say. He stared at the snow leopard in front of him. Xanaphia began to pace, her silvery tail swished around her as if it had a mind of it's own. Xanaphia looked at the walls, at the door in the ceiling, at Colm. When he returned her gaze, he knew what she was about to do the instant before she did it.

"Wait!" He called, but it was too late. She sprung towards the wall,her claws outstreched to meet it. Climbing the wall like a kitten might climb a screen door, Xanaphia scrambled up towards the door. Unfortunately the door was in the middle of the ceiling. Xanaphia jumped from the wall, clawing at the door. She managed to break the lock. Preenes had claws as hard as diamonds and teeth to equal. Usually they were peacefull and in their human shape. Except for when in battle or in the red haze of rage and pain, do they resort to their feline shapes. Even though Two Preenes might be of the same family, likely as not they will not be the same species of Feline. When Xanaphia's claws went through the door, she began to fall. She twisted around in the air to land on her feet with a thump. This stirred a memory in Colms mind.

"Remember when I met you at your camp? And you fell and somehow twisted away from me to hold your sword at my throat?"

Xanaphia raised her green eyes to him. If you have ever seen a cat look at you with skepticism, this was how Xanaphia looked then.  
"Yeah. You wouldn't put me down."

Colm nodded.  
"That's what you did there. Only then you were in Human, or elfish, form.

Xanaphia nodded at him. She had figured this out a few weeks after escaping the cave. Colm looked at Xanaphia's claws that were still out and she was shaking bits of broken metal from beneath them.

"Instead of the door which is thirty feet about your head, how about you try those on a closer target?" Colm asked geturing toward his and Rhyan's chains. Rhyan was standing as far as he could from Xanaphia. Though he was curious, he knew when another cat was stronger than him. Xanaphia swung towards the chain with one claw. Though the chains were thick, her diamond claws sliced through them easily. With each chain she met, she destroyed.

Aweful things, chains." She said conversationaly to Colm as she pounced next to him attacking the chains with teeth and claws.  
"They do so much to keep you in one place, when possibley the best thing to do is to run." She looked at him, then at Rhyan. She walked toward the nervous gryfin and asked. "Ready to get out of here?" Rhyan was still uneasy, but some part of his brain connected that this was Xanaphia and she wouldn't hurt him.  
"Yeah. I think so." He said and allowed her to jump onto his back. She was slightly heavier than she was as a half elf, but Rhyan didn't mind. He spread his wings and soared upward. As soon as Xanaphia was close enough she swiped at the bars of the door, tearing them from the surounding deck. Rhyan paused to let Xanaphia off his back and went back down for Colm. Xanaphia looked with amusement at the terrified faces of the crew. She scanned the crowd that was watching for her move.There he was.

"You!" Xanaphia called out. The crew gasped to hear Xanaphia's voice come from the mouth of the large cat. She sprung. Some flinched, but those who were watching carefully saw who she was aiming for. She landed soundlessly in front of Aaron. She recognizede his eyes from when she was drugged. He held her own sword against her. She growled.

"What are you doing with my sword?" He tried to slash at her, but she raised her claws to deflect the blow.

"If you make me break my sword, I'm going to have to hurt you." SHe growled again. Then someone stepped on her tail and she roared with pain. Her tail whipped around her furiously as she spun around, chasing off her wounder then turned intime to leap away from where her sword sliced into the wood where she had been. She scowled at Aaron.  
"You're ruining my sword." She said, almost a growl, but not quite. THen she pounced on him. Fear took him and he dropped the sword. Xanaphia landed on him. Knocking him to the floor.

"What's the matter, Aaron?" She taunted. Aaron's eyes grew wider as his mind accepted what was going on.

"By the Gods! You ARE a witch!!" He yelped, when he felt her claws prick his skin ever so slightly.

"Not, quite. Try Preene." Everyone's heads turned to Colm as he emerged, standing quite impressively on Rhyan's back. These few weeks at sea had taught him balance better than anything ever had on land. A gunshot was fired, everyone looked around. It was a little after noon, and the Captain was standing in the doorway.

"What in Jone's Locker is going on here? Why is our guest comming out of the brig? and Why is there a leopard on Aaron?"  
Xanaphia smiled, quite a frightening thing, as this showed all of her very sharp teeth. She calmly got off Aaron and walked over to the Captian.

"It's me, sir. Xanaphia. THese fools thought I was a witch and locked me up. Well," She amended, "Drugged me and locked me up. They did the same to Colm and Rhyan. I'm still trying to figure out how this came about. However, it seemed to have started with Aaron." The Captain looked shocked to see the Snow leopard speak to him, who wouldn't be? However, he recovered quickly and said, "Aaron! Might you want to shed some light on this?" Aaron, who had been in the act of sneaking away, turned around.He stepped forward and explained the whole thing. By the end of it, Colm and every other man there was looking at him in disgust, while Xanaphia was rolling on the ground, laughing.

"Y-you planned all this because I wouldn't let you feel me up?" a burst of laughter overcame her again. "I mean, I've heard that guys can get offended at stuff like that, but that is recidulous!!" She giggled. It was the oddest thing, Colm decided, to see a snow leopard giggle.

The Captain was apologising to Xanaphia and Colm for the twentieth time. She had changed back into her Half Elf form, but the crew was still skittish around her. Now they knew what lay behind those emerald eyes of hers; a large snow leopard with a bad temper. Xanaphia stilled started to giggle whenever she saw Aaron. Such an elaborate sceme for such a little matter. Though the secrecy of it impressed her. She hadn't a clue what was going on until they drugged her. Of course, she had hoped that she wouldn't meet that smell again. Once was quite enough. THe only thing that baffled her was how so many people were able to sneak into her room without her noticing. It was mystery that she would have to deal wth. Aaron, the only person who could possibly know what had caused this, seemed to be avoiding her of late. It was the last day of their voyage, They were aproaching the smaller island quite quickly. Xanaphia had been packed since the night before, amused herself by turning into a leopard randomly and following Aaron around. Sometimes hiding in wait behind some barrels, the only movement comming from her twitching tail. Much like a kitten, she took to batting at people's shoelaces. The Crew took to wearing clunky boots with long laces that were flung aside with each step. When she was human, Colm was never far from her. Often the crew would hear her tell him firmly;

"Don't you dare call me 'Kitten'." several times in the same five minutes. By the time they reached the island Xanaphia had given up trying to stop Colm from calling her 'Kitten' and simply ignored it. The port town of Willinbrie was small, but well stocked with anything that a traveler could need. As Colm, Xanaphia and Rhyan walked down the plank that served as a stairway from the ship, Colm noticed that Xanaphia was still wearing the armlet. He had another idea of what to get her, now that they were ashore again. He knew this island fairly well. Had stayed here as a getaway from the too peacefull lull of the Island of the Gods. Though the fights between the Gods were always a terrible and awesome thing to watch.

They had reached the city. Colm sugested they split up in such a small city and meet back at the docks to continue their trip. His reason being that it will go faster in this way. Rhyan opted to stay at the docks and be the spot where they could meet up. Colm divied up the supplies they needed so that they could begin. Colm went off in one direction and Xanaphia another. Colm headed straight for the pet shops. What he bought there would probably make Xanaphia a little mad, but his reasons were secure and logical. He knew how many snow leopards liked to roam these islands.

When Colm had made all his purchases, he made his way back to the docks. There Xanaphia and Rhyan were waiting.

"What took you so long?" Xanaphia asked, looking at him with raised eyebrows,"We had the same number of things to buy."

Colm reached into the packages that he had collected, pulling a long, thin box from within the jumble.  
"This." He handed the parcel to Xanaphia.

"Are you trying to spoil me, or what?" Xanaphia asked him, trying to keep her voice light. This was the second peice of jewelry that he had bought her. How was she going to repay him?

"You're going to have me travel with you a lot, aren't you?" She directed at him, she still hadn't opened the box.

"Think of this as future payment. The second part of the quest is still yet to be given."

Xanaphia nodded and opened the box. Even though she fought it, a gasp escaped her. It was a necklace. Beautiful silver with a complicated pattern of emeralds wound around it. Colm picked it up and Xanaphia pulled her hair to one side so that he could fasten it.

"Why do they make the clasps so tiny?" Colm asked in frusteration, fumbling with the clasp for the third time.

"They do it just to annoy you." Xanaphia joked. When the clasp was closed, Xanaphia fixed her hair and looked at Colm.

"Shall we be off? It's going to be dark soon, and I'd rather not fly by moonlight."  
At this Rhyan interjected, "Oh? It's quite beautiful by moonlight, you know."

"Yes, but cold." Xanaphia pointed out. This was a fair point, so they lost no haste in climbing onto Rhyan's back. Rhyan spread his wings once more and sprung into the air. It didn't bother Xanaphia, but Colm couldn't get used to the sudden leap into the air. The flight was passed in relivent silence. The wind roaring in their ears kept conversation from being an easy thing. As they aproached the Island, Rhyan had to climb.This surprised Xanaphia. No one had told her that the Island of the Gods was a floating Island.

When they reached the shore, floating several miles above the sea's surface, Xanaphia rubbed her arms to try to chase the chill away.

"Brrr! It's cold! And here I am without my winter claok. I'll have to do something else."

Colm was about to ask her what she was going to do, until he saw her begin to change into her Snow Leopard form. He grinned at her. The necklace he bought her was made especially for Preenes. It would transform as they did. So that the emerald necklace around Xanaphia's neck was now an Emerald studded colar. A snicker came from Rhyan.

"What are you laughing at?" Asked Xanaphia. Unaware of the change in the necklace.

"Look in the water." Rhyan told her. She walked over to a crystal clear pool. The strange gold mist moved away from her as she walked. She looked in and saw the emerald colar and was puzzled. Then she turned to Colm who couldn't hide his grin.

"You bought me a COLAR??" Xanphia roared. She was not some domestic pussy cat.

Colm fended her off, waving his hands in a show of peace.

"Wait! I had too. The Gods like to hunt around here, at least Eurethnul does, so all sorts of animals are brought here for hunting. I didn't want you getting hunted while in that form."

"In THIS form? You expect me to be hunted in my other form?"

Colm kept silent. He was not sure how to answer this. Hadn't she learned how humans can be hunted just as animals from her expirience in The Cave? Colm started walking to the many elaborate houses on the island. The Gods used this Island as an origanal vacation home, then realized that they could work just as well there as in the Other Relm. Colm explained this to Xanaphia and Rhyan. Xanaphia was still growling at him, but was interested in the story. Rhyan was likewise interested. Just as night was concoring the sky, the odd trio arrived at Alcomist's house.

"Hello?" Colm called, stepping into the house. Xanaphia and Rhyan hung back a little. This was the home of a God, after all.

Alcomist apeared in a flash of pink lightning, Calling out "Colm, my son! You're home!" In a voice as loud as thunder. Colm rolled his eyes.

"Did you HAVE to use the PINK lightning? Wouldn't red be better?" Alcomist waved this aside saying "Mister Warrior took red. So I must use pink." Alcomist often refered to the God of War as Mister Warrior, to his amusement and the War God's great annoyance. Xanaphia stared at Colm.

"HE is your Father?? Alcomist?" She was trying to wrap her mind around it. Did that mean...  
"Are you a God?" Xanaphia asked, suddenly, finishing her thought out loud.

"No. Only a demiGod. My mom is human. How is she, by the by?" He asked his father, who was looking with interest at Xanaphia, who was still in Snow Leopard form.

"Whose this?" Alcomist asked gesturing at Xanaphia and Rhyan.

"Oh!" Xanaphia gasped, realizing she was still in Leopard form. SHe changed back, quickly. It always fasinated Colm to watch her change forms. To see the fur disapear or apear, followed by the length and claws and ears. It was an interesting transformation. When Xanaphia stood, on her two legs, in front of Alcomist, he laughed.

"I knew it! I knew it! Come, my dear. I already know who you are. You are Xanaphia, first daughter of dear Isabelle. Now, come, we must get you fitted for your Gown."

Xanaphia was utterly taken aback. Rhyan, who stood forgotten in the doorway, cleared his throat before Xanaphia could ask any of the many questions swarming her mind. Alcomist turned to Rhyan.

"And who is this? You're pet?"

Rhyan coughed in indignation. "Hardly! I am their friend and transportaion. Rhyan Gryfin."  
Alcomist nodded, told him he was welcome to anytihng they could offer, then turned back to Xanaphia.

"Come on. You're gown is waiting for you."

Then Xanphia found her voice.

"What gown? Why do I need a gown? Is there going to be some sort of party?"

Alcomist chuckled. "Yes, I'd say a wedding is some sort of party. Now come on."

But Xanaphia stood still. A moment afterward it seemed like her mind and Colm's were synchronized, for they both said, "WHAT??" at the same time. Xanaphia turned to Colm.

"Wedding? What wedding? You never said ANYTHING about a wedding? What's going on here?"

Colm, who had been peicing together the puzzle ever since Alcomist had said "Gown", groaned.

"Dad, Not AGAIN!!" HE sighed, but before he could say anything, Xanaphia spoke again, her words moving so fast that they were a little hard to follow.

"I've known you for about two months and you're expecting me to marry you!? I don't know what to make of this! I need to think." And with that she ran from the house. Once she was out of sight, she changed into Leopard form, and coninued to run. Colm, who had run after her to try to explain that it was another one of his Father's crazy plots, only caught the sight of a silver tail disapearing into the underbrush.


	6. Battling Gods

Sorry this has taken so long. School stuff. ugh.

Colm stomped back to Alcomist's house.

"Why didn't you tell her it was one of your scemes? Now she's gone and run off!" He shouted at Alcomist. For a normal person to do this, it would be a very dangerous thing. However, Alcomist only smiled and said,  
"Why didn't you?"

Colm didn't have an answer for this, much to his agrivation. Knowing that he'd not get anymore useful information out of his father, he went to look for Xanaphia. It was just the time of day that Eurethnul liked to hunt the larger game. Colm prayed he found her in time. On his way to the underbrush, a familiar voice called his name.

"Colm! Is that you?" He turned to find Alanna, the Godess of the Forest.

"Thank all that it's you! My friend, Xanaphia, is a Preene. A Leopard Preene, and Dad just sprung the "You're getting married today." Routine on her and she freaked out and ran away. Worst of it, she turned back into her Leopard form and Eurethnul likes to hunt now. You must help me find her before he does. Can you help?"

Alanna blinked at him, then the rush of words started to make sence. After a moment or so, she understood.

"Oh, goose blossoms. He did it again?"

Colm nodded. Alanna clapped her hand to her forehead.

" I'll talk to Alcomist after we find, what was her name? Xanaphia. Good luck."

Colm thanked her wildly then ran off into the bushes.

Xanaphia gazed down at the glade she had rested at. There was a very distracting waterfall, but Xanaphia didn't want to watch the water. She wanted to watch for Colm. She didn't want to talk to him just yet. How DID she feel about the whole thing? She knew it was WAY too soon for what his father had suggested. However, he was interesting to be around. She pawed at her collar a few times. It was pretty considerate to get a special necklace for her. She heard a twig snap by the trees. Looking over she saw a man Taller than any she had seen in her life. He had dark hair that looked to be stained with blood. His eyes were grey and looked amused, but cruel. He held a bow, drawn with what looked to be black lightning. To Xanaphia's dismay, he was aiming at her! She jumped from the branch an instant before it burst into splinters. She disapeared into the underbrush, staying close to see where he'd go next. She heard more rustling and a woman almost as tall as the man, stepped through the leaves. However, she didnt' fight the leaves as he had, it was almost as if the leaves parted for her.

"There you are Eurethnul! Don't hunt anymore today. Colm has come back from another of Alcomist's marrige scemes. This time the girl is a Preene, and she ran off when Alcomist sprung the news. You know how he is."  
All of this was said very fast, so fast that Xanaphia had a hard time keeping up. Eurethnul, Xanaphia now recognized as the God of Slaughter,understood in a heartbeat.

"Poor Girl. Alright. Preene, you say? Well I just met a Leopard that acted very strangely. What type of Preene is the Girl?"

Xanaphia was a little irked at being refered to as "The Girl" But she wasn't being shot at, so she let it go.

" A Leopard Preene. And she is probably wearing an emeral studded Collar." Alanna explained.

"You know, Alanna, I just met a Leopard that matches that desciption. Even had the collar. I shot at it, but it jumped out of the way."

Alanna stared at her Cousin. "You SHOT at it! It was wearing a collar and you still shot at it!?"

Xanaphia, desiding that it was safe now, that the guy with the bow wasn't going to shoot her, stepped into the clearing.

"Uh, 'It' happens to be female, and standing right here."

Both of the Gods looked extremely startled. Eurethnul almost dropped his bow.

"Well, thank goodness!" Alanna said, the first to find her voice after the shock. Xanaphia changed back into her Half Elf form. Eurethnul looked at her hair, the well known question on his face. Sighing, Xanaphia said;

"Creative witch hair stylist, don't ask." Eurethnul looked puzzled, but let it drop. Xanaphia. remembering who she was talking to, kneeled and stood up again.

"I'm sorry, but why are you so laid back? I thought I was going to be fried for speaking like that." Xanaphia explained when the two Gods looked confused at her formality.

Alanna laughed, an interesting sound. Much like the sound of growing leaves mixed with the sound of a spring brook. Eurethnul laughed aswell, but his laugh was more like the sound of an arrow hiting it's target, and the clash of swords.

"No,no, no. This is our vacation home! We're always laid back here." Alanna explained.

This time it was Xanaphia's turn to look confused.  
"But, how do you do all the, you know, protecting stuff? Doesn't that have to be done where you normally live?"

Alanna shook her head. "We make it so we can all do our work here. It does wonders for the stress levels. Do you know how awfull three thousand years of stress can make you look?"  
Xanaphia shook her head, Eurethnul whispered by her ear "It isn't a pretty sight." Alanna glared at him. A truly intimidating sight, but Eurethnul just looked at her and said, "What are you going to do about it? TreeLady?"

Xanaphia jumped back again as Alanna sprung like the most visious Jungle cat at Eurethnul. Xanaphia watched with terrified interest at the God's battle. Eurethnul shot streams of the black lightning Xanaphia saw earlier, and Alanna dogded, blocked and countered with green magics in all hues. In the middle of the Battle, Xanaphia felt a hand on her waist.

She turned her head to see Colm watching the battle with an almost bored expression. Xanaphia assumed, and was right, that the two Gods fought like this on a regular basis. Colm pulled her away from the arguing pair, to a clearing, much like the one they had just come from.

"Uh, Xanaphia," Colm started, he figeted. He had no idea how to go about this, but he had to explain.  
Xanahia raised an eyebrow at him.  
"Well, it's about the whole...Marrige thing. You see, my father, being the god of Love and Relationships, can't stand to see me...single."  
Xanaphia already knew most of this, but was enjoying seeing Colm figet, was fighting hard not to giggle.  
"Well, He's tried something like this several times. Tried to get me to choose a wife, then bring her back here to get married. I don't know how to get him to stop, so...that's what was happening. I didn't figure it out until he started talking about the gown."

Xanaphia stood there staring at him with a blank expression.

"Uh, Xana? Say something."

Xanaphia smiled.

"You know, I already knew most of that from Alanna and Eurethnul."

Colm gaped at her, "Then why did you let me babble on like that?!"

Xanaphia giggled, an interesting sound, wether from her half elf or leopard form. Colm scowled at her, which made her laugh harder. Finally, when she had stopped laughing, or had at least contained it, they started back towards Alcomist's house. Colm was leading becuase Xanaphia had no clue which direction to go. Colm, of course, knew these woods like the back of his hand after spending much of his childhood exploring them. Soon they were back at Alcomist's house, where Rhyan and Alcomist were waiting. Rhyan had come back from his meal hunting and was pointedly ignoring Alcomist.

"Ah!" Alcomist exclaimed as he saw Colm and Xanaphia walk through the door. "Is the wedding on, then?" He had to duck as his son had just thrown a stick at him. Now that Xanaphia knew what was going on, she joined Colm in the aggitated explaination of why the wedding was off.

"For one, it was never on! I certainly don't remember agreeing to this."

"Me either! And another, two months is hardly grounds for a wedding! It's hardly been grounds for us to get along!"

"Exactly! Plus, I should be able to plan my own life. Which includes who I marry and when!"

Alcomist watched and listened to this. Seeing what was happening without his help, he decided to give in.

"Alright. No wedding. But what will I do with all the flowers? And the cake?"

Xanaphia glared at him, "You picked out the cake? Don't you know that almost every girl likes to plan her OWN wedding!?"

"But you called it off, so it doesn't matter." Alcomist pointed out.

Xanaphia didn't want to go into the matter any further, so she shrugged and let it drop.

"So." Colm said, changing the subject. He didn't want Xanaphia getting his Dad annoyed. Bad things usually follow when Alcomist gets annoyed. Scientists start ripping their hair out because the relations in there science start to disprove themselves. " What is the second part of the quest?"

Alcomist thought, "Well, it was going to be to plan you wedding-" He was interupted by Colm and Xanaphia who both shouted "No Weddings!" at him once he had said that. He glared at them, and continued.

"As I was saying, Since you canceled that one, There are some pests over on the west side of the island.Half a days journey from here. Ask Alanna on what best to bring to get rid of them with."

Xanaphia nodded and turned to go, then seemed to change her mind as she swung back around in the same step to ask, "They aren't Vineaxes, are they?"

"No." Alcomist said, a look of slight puzzlement on his face, "Why?"

"Never mind." Xanaphia said turning to walk out the door again. Then changed her mind yet again.

"We are being paid to do this, I assume." She directed at Alcomist, who shrugged.

"If you insist." He said, already looking bored by the conversation. Colm took her arm and said,

"Are you accually going to go through the door this time?"

She nodded and rolled her eyes at him. It always looked very odd, to Colm. It seemed like there was something around her eye, at the back, that you could only see if she rolled her eyes. He asked about this and she shrugged it off, saying it was one of those things that happen to "Us Halfers". Colm thought about that for a moment,and realized it was probably true. He had something like it, though she would hopefully not find out, that was because he was a DemiGod.

They walked back to where Alanna was still arguing with Eurenthul. Xanaphia boldly interupted.

"Hey, um, excuse me. Alanna?"

The Godess stoped in her dive at Eurethnul to look at her.  
"Yes?"

"Uh, Alcomist said,that for the second part of our quest, we are to take care of a pest on the west side of the island. He said that you would know the best way to get there, and what to use against them."

Alanna considered this, then at length said, " Get there over the volcano, and use what ever is at your exposal. They aren't very bright in the fact that they live right next to what can destroy them." Xanaphia and Colm thanked her and walked away, feeling slightly more knowledgeble, but not much. Colm pointed out the volcano and Xanaphia swallowed the slight fear she had felt when looking at the smoldering peak. "This will be interesting." She muttered in Elvin. Colm scowled.

"Would you please not do that? I don't know what you're saying. What did you say, while were on the topic."

"Nothing that you need to know, but it's fun to watch you squirm." Xanaphia said, still speaking in Elvin. Colm made a sound almost like a growl to match Xanaphia's. She couldn't help but smile. He was just too funny to watch when he got annoyed. Which happened very rarely.

They walked along in silence. Most of their journey was like that. Rhyan had chosen to stay around the Gods, if they needed him, all they ha to do was whistle. Days past, Xanaphia and Colm getting along relatively well. By now, they were in the shadow of the Mountain. The sun was setting, casting the shadow even further than usual. Xanaphia was walking a few steps behind Colm. For a few hours now, Xanaphia had a prickling feeling along her spine. Something was behind them, but she didn't want to stop to see what it was. Perhaps it was a curious cat or other creature and would go away in a few minutes. When her own curiosity had gotten the better of her, Xanaphia turned to look. A hand, white as the snow on the distant peaks, clamped itself over her mouth. Following the hand, was an arm, connected to the one thing Xanaphia really didn't want to see. It wasn't as bad as a giant spider, but it was definately not good. The being was pale and it's hair would look black, but if one had seen it in the sunlight, they would see that it was a blood red. Another set of hands were keeping her hands to her sides. In such close proximity, she couldn't transform.

"Such an interesting smell." One commented. "So full of...life."

Xanaphia struggled. In her mind,she was saying "Oh...crap. Oh, crap, oh crap, oh crap." Among other curses and swears. She could feel the fangs graze her neck. A shiver of disgust trembling down her spine.

"It must be that, high protein diet." The second vampire commented to the other, conversationaly. The urge to run was making Xanaphia's legs vibrate. Again, in her mind the words. "I'm gonna die. Die, die die. Crap. Colm! Where did you go?" ran in circles.

oooh, cliffhanger. doncha hate 'em?


	7. Vampires and Nightmares

Colm, several feet away from where Xanaphia stood, held still by the vampired, now noticed that she was no longer behind him. Turning, he only saw the dim glimmer of her light blue hair.

"Kitten! What are you waiting for?"

The vampires were slightly distracted, a bird had disturbed a branch above them and thus made a flash of sunlight through the darkness. It was in these few seconds that Xanaphia called out.

"Uh, I need some help with some blood suckers here." Trying to keep her voice calm. This was increasingly difficult because the vampire holding her arms to her sides kept tracing the veins in her neck with one fang. Xanaphia dared not struggle now. One bite of those sharp fangs in the wrong spot, and she's dead. Colm had walked closer to Xanaphia, he saw the Vampires clustered around her. Before Colm could mutter so much as a curse in surprise, the vampire closest to Xanaphia lost their control and bite her in the shoulder. Xanaphia screamed, as blood poured from the bite, two steady streams dripping down her shirt. Colm hesitated a moment, unsure of what to do. He looked around, he needed light. Seeing the shallow branches above their heads blocking the sun. Swinging his sword in a great arch, slicing down several branches and flooding the clearing with sunlight. The vampires screeched and darted away, moving to the cool shadows to sooth their burning skin. Colm was standing purposefully in the sun, tending to Xanaphia's wounds.

"You have to stop getting hurt like this." Colm muttered, wiping away as much blood as he could. Pressing a clean cloth to the wound, he heard the vampires moaning.

"He's wasting the blood! That wonderful blood!"

Xanaphia, no longer in the intense trance of having her blood drained, snapped at the vampires.

"You shouldn't have bit me in the first place, ya crazy leeches!"

The vampires hissed at her, eyes still red in the one that had taken her blood. Colm looked around and judged their position from the sun in the opening in the leaves. Having no other option, if they stepped one foot out of the sun, they were instant snacks. So, Colm carefully wrapped his arms around Xanaphia, hoping that this way he wouldn't kill her, and blinked.  
Xanaphia felt a tremendous pressure all around her, but it only lasted an instant. One second later, she was standing in front of yet another healer's house. It took her a moment to realize that she was still in Colm's arms.

"Hey." She rolled her shoulders. A mistake, as this made more blood trickle down her back. When Colm came to his senses, Xanaphia was waving her hand in front of his face. His face lit up with a broad smile.

"You're not dead!!" He exclaimed, and hugged her.

"Uh, yeah, I'm not dead. Still kicking here. For how much longer, I don't know. You're gonna squeeze the breath out of me!"

Colm let go of her immediately. Taking her hand, he pulled her to the Healer's house.

"Zelda! Where are you? I have an emergency for you!!"

A woman, Xanaphia assumed it was Zelda, appeared in the doorway. She was frighteningly thin, and tall. Silvery blonde hair fell almost to the floor, and eyes black as onyx sparkled below long lashes. She wore a simple dress, but somehow it looked elegant on her.

"Get hurt again, Colm? Oh, I see. What happened?" Zelda asked, quickly looking at the wound on Xanaphia's shoulder. Also noticing the scars, but she didn't ask about them just yet. Fresh wounds first.

"It's nothing." Xanaphia tried to say, but Colm cut her off.

"Like hell, it is! Did you see how much blood you lost?"

"Uh, no. Shoulder. Kind of hard to see the back of." She tried to crane her neck. Zelda kept her eyes forward.

"Stop. Just let me work. What but hurt her?"

"Vampires. Off the south side of the Mountain, crazy leeches."

"That's what I said!" Xanaphia said indignantly. Suddenly she swayed, dizzy from loss of blood. Zelda led her to a nearby bed. Helping her to lie down, without blocking access to her wounded shoulder. It wasn't long until Xanaphia slipped into the blackness of unconsciousness.

When she woke again, it was to find Colm holding her shoulder above the bed. Also to find the absence of her shirt. Screeching in surprise, she clutched the bedclothes to herself. Scooting away from Colm, she almost fell off the small bed. A stream of what Colm assumed were very colourful curses flowed from Xanaphia. Zelda came into the room at that moment. Seeing Colm, and the very agitated Xanaphia clutching the covers in a death grip, said;

" Calm down, or you'll mess up the bandages."

Xanaphia settled down a little. Not much, because the elvin curses were still bubbling out at Colm. Zelda smiled, and looked at Colm.

"I told you that you should let her sleep on her own." Colm shrugged, claiming that it would have hurt her more if she had been sleeping on the sore spot all night.

"What?" Xanaphia asked, looking out of the window at the now starry sky. "It's night already? What about the Crazy Leeches?"

Zelda calmly pointed to the different wards for vampires set around her house. Xanaphia calmed down then, sitting back on the bed. Colm tried to take the smirk off his face but only slightly succeeded. Zelda was convincing Xanaphia to go to back to bed. Colm found himself being pushed out of the room. He couldn't resist calling

"Goodnight, Kitten!" Over his shoulder. He was smiling, until the pillow hit him in the back of the head. Zelda was holding back a chuckle while she returned the pillow to Xanaphia. Whispering to her when she was close enough, "Good shot."

Xanaphia grinned, and went back to sleep, careful to sleep on the side that wasn't bandaged.

When Xanaphia woke it was well past noon, her shoulder was sore and stiff. Gingerly she got up, and tugged at her hair. Looking around, she found her bag a few feet away from the bed. Picking it up, she started searching though it to find her brush. It took a while, but finally she was brushing the knots, tangles and random bits of leaf out of her hair. Then, wandering into one of the rooms branching off of hers, she found Colm and Zelda. Zelda was stirring something in a giant pot, and Colm was lounging on one of the couches that peppered the room.

"Breakfast?" Xanaphia asked, eyeing the giant pot.

"Yup. Sit down and I'll be right there." Zelda said, still stirring the pot and adding a dash of spice every once in a while.  
Xanaphia sat, Colm joining her. He, at first, made to give her a one armed hug, but stopped when she felt her stiffen. She felt his arm near her and tensed. She wanted to trust him, but some shadows can't be erased that easily. Colm withdrew his arm, looking a little sheepish. Now, Zelda walked over with three plates. Each one had what looked like a snowball made out of grey mud. Xanaphia poked at it with her spoon.

"Uh, Zelda? That doesn't look edible." She poked it again and could have sworn she heard it giggle. She put down her spoon. No way was she eating giggling food. Colm was having much the same reaction. He couldn't quite tell whether it had actually giggled or not, but he wasn't going to take his chance.

Zelda looked up from her meal, and laughed.

"It's supposed to giggle. They're Snickerpods. Break it open like this." She instructed, and took hers with both hands and split it open on the plate. Xanaphia and Colm did as they were told and split open their Snickerpods. Instantly, a delicious smell rose from the inside, which looked strikingly like a coconut. It smelled nice enough, Xanaphia decided, and her nose had never lead her wrong when it came to food. Taking up her spoon once more, she pried some of the blueish stuff from the pod. It tasted strange, but not disagreeable. Like a blueberry that you picked with a group of friends, followed by cool lemonade under the shade of a cedar tree. After her first bite,Xanaphia realised just how hungry she was. Digging out some of the stuff again, she ate with gusto. Colm was following suit. Though he had lived on this island for most of his life, he had never tasted a Snickerpod. At Alcomist's house food was more likely to be berries and wine. No one talked much during breakfast, all too busy concentrating on their Snickerpods. Afterward, though, Xanaphia had to get another check on her wound. The bleeding had stopped and Zelda only had a few tests to do before she was sure that Xanaphia was cured. She went to fetch a few things, then came back with her arms full with a basket so big that her long arms could barely fit around it. She set it down at Xanaphia's feet. Taking off the top, she pulled from within a string of garlic. Xanaphia covered her nose, she had never liked the smell of garlic much, but didn't recoil. Even when Zelda held it right next to her face, she didn't flinch. Zelda went through the same thing with other things vampires detested. When all was done, Zelda announced that Xanaphia wasn't going to turn into a vampire.

"The only symptom you might experience," She warned," would be some dreams."

Xanaphia didn't understand how dreams could be a symptom, but nodded anyway. With that over, they had to be going again. Colm and Xanaphia hugged Zelda goodbye, and went back into the forest. Zelda, little to their knowledge, had slipped a bit of garlic into Xanaphia's and Colm's bags. A little extra protection never hurt.

The day went by uneventfully. Xanaphia and Colm trudged through the forest. It was only another three days until they reached where Alanna had hinted that the problem would be. As the moon started to show above the trees, Xanaphia and Colm made camp. Colm placed his sleeping bag close to Xanaphia's. He didn't want to be woken up, yet again, by a scream in the night. Xanaphia laid down and got comfy, staring at the stars through the branches. It wasn't long until she and Colm dropped off to sleep.

Again Xanaphia saw the firelight at the end of the cave. It burned brightly, but the warmth never reached her. It was a cold night, snow could be seen at the mouth of the cave. Xanaphia shivered, but didn't let her teeth chatter. If He thought she was cold he'd put the iron to her again. "To warm you up" He often said. The bloodstained stone floor was cold, too. Everything was cold. Xanaphia shivered again. She heard his voice echoing from near the fire.

"Are you cold? This should warm you up." A dark voice, Xanaphia thought, even as she pleaded.

"No, no, not the iron. Please. NO!" The last word ended with a scream as the iron, almost yellow with the heat made it's cruel contact with her skin. Xanaphia jerked awake, cold sweat making her shiver. Colm had woken up, it would have been hard to sleep through a scream when it was right next to one's ear. She was still shivering when Colm snaked an arm around her. He tried to calm her, but she still shivered. Colm stayed up with her until the shivering stopped and she could sleep again. Colm thought about what she must have dreamed about. It didn't take much to guess. Before he turned over to sleep, Colm cursed the monster that had done this. It took a monster to leave such shadows on a person. Colm was able to get a few more hours of sleep until the morning sun woke them both. Xanaphia woke first and took her bag to a stream she found a few minutes away from their camp. She needed to wash. Wash away the dream from last night. Zelda was right, the dreams came. Xanaphia shook her head, as if to clear it of the memories, and began to wash.

Colm woke, to find Xanaphia gone. He fought down the panic that started to rise in his chest. He listened and heard the sound of a stream and the splashing and singing of Xanaphia. Relaxing once again, he rolled up his sleeping bag and started hunting up some breakfast.

After Xanaphia had come back from her wash, Colm took his turn. When all was done and they were ready to continue with their trek, it was only a few more hours until dark.

"Might as well get as much travel in as possible." Colm said and Xanaphia cut their path with her sword. Her well cared for blade sliced easily through the branches and weeds. Hours passed in this way, until they came to a clearing just as the moon peaked through the overhanging branches. Then, bathed in silvery moonlight, they saw the "pests". Colm recognized the plants right away, but all Xanaphia saw was a bunch of fluttery looking stalks of varrieing hues of orange and electric blue.

" Oh. My. Gods." Colm muttered. Xanaphia looked at him and started to walk forward.

"What? They're just plants." Colm reached for her to pull her away from the plants that he knew were deadly. By the time he had gotten hold of her arm, her leg had brushed one of the long, feathery stalks. He pulled her back sharply.

"Hey!" Xanaphia said, and started to back up from him. Colm watched helplessly as her left leg, the one that had touched the stalk, went dead, and she stumbled backward, landing just inches from the plants. Colm quickly dragged her away from them and took the flint and steel from her bag. He made an even circle around the clearing of deceivingly beautiful plants, and lit it. He finally threw the stick, which he had lit on fire to make the circle, into the middle so that the clearing would be completely rid of the plant.

Xanaphia was still trying to get up. Colm went over and set her on her feet. When she tried to take a step, she fell back to the ground.

"Well, clearly THAT isn't going to work. What happened? and Why did you burn the plants?" Xanaphia was very confused, and Colm shook his head.

"Those were Klipper Plants. Each feather has one million tiny needles that are so small that they go through any clothing and into the skin. There they slowly make the entire body shut down until death by suffocation or starvation. You, my friend, walked right into them."

Xanaphia looked at the, now charcoaled, plants.

"So, unless there's a cure, I'm going to die a slow, annoying death. Any more good news Doctor Colm?"  
Colm peered at her carefully, then said, with all seriousness,

"You have split ends."


	8. How to Find a Pulse

Xanaphia waved the arm she wasn't using to prop herself up with in the air.

"Great, just great. So, is there a cure?"

Colm looked at her, with mixed emotions in his eyes. "Yes, but it's at the top of the volcano."

Xanaphia glanced up at the shadowy peak.

"So, what's keeping us? Let's Blink there! It's so weird to have one of your legs disabled."  
Colm looked at the ground, not sure how to say it.

"Uh, I can only get within ten miles of the peak. Since there's so much magic around there already, we have to walk the last ten miles, and that's where the plant we need grows."

Xanaphia, blinked, taking in this new information. Then a question popped into her mind.

"Were those Klipper Plants the pests Alcomist was talking about?" Colm nodded.

"Good, because I SO do not want to deal with anything else while my leg's like this." Colm smiled a little. Then he pulled her back up and had her hang on to him, so they could blink as close to the peak as he could. They landed in a tree, which Xanaphia fell out of, due to lack of control in her leg.

"Ouch! Geez, is it just Bad Luck For Xanaphia Month, or something? I think it is. First the whole secret wedding thing, then the almost getting turned into a God's trophey, then the Vampires, then My leg going dead and me going to die slowly and annoyingly, Now I fall out of a tree. Great."

Colm would have chuckled, but he was too worried. The plant's needles were known to spread to the entire body in as short a time as one week. They had to move, and fast.

"Can you change into a Leopard like that?" He asked. She shrugged and started to turn. When she was done, her left hind leg was still dangeling uselessly, but she could at least walk now. THey continued on into the forest until sunrise. They stopped to take a drink from a small pond just as it was turning a rosey pink to reflect the sky. It took four days to reach the top of the peak, where the curing plant grows. By this time, the plants needles had spread to all four limbs, so that Xanaphia had to change back into a human in order for Colm to carry her, and her eyelids. It took a while to find the plant, and by the time Colm had applied the balm to the afflicted parts of her, he could not tell if she was breathing or not. He searched for her pulse. He checked her legs, wrist, ancle and behind one ear, but found no pulse. Now knowing the worst had happened, he let one tear escape his tightly closed eyes. He sat beside her for another few minutes, then stood to start digging her grave. It didn't take very long, the earth was easily enough moved, especially after he found a good strong peice of wood to serve as a shovel. He gingerly picked up the still body of Xanaphia and stood over the grave he had dug. He couldn't bare to see her fall into the ground, so her turned his head and shut his eyes, preparing to put her in. Since his eyes were shut, he did not see the flutter of Xanaphia's eyes, or feel her breath as his own sobs took over. To travel with someone for months makes one very close, and now she was dead. He finally dropped her in and was about to shovel in the earth he had piled beside the grave, when he heard the most miraculas thing.

"What are you doing, you idiot?? I'm NOT DEAD!!" He looked into the grave, and Xanaphia was glaring at him.

"When I get the control of my limbs back I'm kicking your half imortal butt back to Coppersea, then teach you how to find some one's Godsforsaken Pulse!!"

Colm dropped to his knees and thanked every last one of the Gods. Even the ones he didn't really like. This took a while, and meanwhile, Xanaphia was getting impatient.

"Uh, you done yet? Because it is unBeleivabley creepy to stare at the sky out of a grave. Ugh, Death is so inconvienient."  
Colm did laugh now. In fact, he laughed so hard that he fell into the grave, on top of Xanaphia.

"Ouch! Well, I'm glad you're having fun. But I'll have fun when I'm, oh I don't know, OUT of the grave!" Colm easily placed her onto the level ground above them, then clambered out himself. The walls were not very perpendicular, given that he used a peice of wood to dig it. Thankfully for Xanaphia, the cure worked much faster than the needles themselves. Withing hours of Colm carrying her back to where he could blink again, she had full control of her arms and one of her legs. As soon as she got control of one of her arms, she smaked Colm on the shoulder.

"Do you know how incredible creepy it is to hear one's own grave being dug?" She shuddered as the memory flooded back to her. Lying limp on the ground, unable to so much as twitch her nose to get rid of the ich, hearing the soft sound of earth showering to the ground in even strokes. Occasionally feeling a speck of dirt land on her cheek. Then the unmistakable feeling of Colm picking her up, and his chest shaking with the tears he had she over her. THen the sensation of falling and seeing it through the flutter of her eyelids. The sky, trees, and ground whip past her as she fell into the grave. Thinking of which she pointed to the spot on her neck where the artery was located.

"Here, dingdong. The Pulse is most easily found HERE. For Goodness' sake." Colm laughed and burried his face in her hair, that was still a bit dirty from the grave. Little did Xanaphia know that Colm's heart had done backflips when he heard the sound of her irritated shouts. But he understood why she was irritated. Who wouldn't be irritated when they almost get burried alive?

They made it back to Alcomist's house in record time. Now that Xanaphia had full control over herself, It only took a day and a half to reach the end of the over-magiced area.From there, Colm blinked them back to Alcomist's, the stew of what "pest" he had sent them after bubbling in his veins. Alcomist looked surprised to see them back so soon, but not as surprised to see Colm and is shortly leashed temper.

"Alcomist." Colm said, his arms quivering with rage," I need to talk to you, alone." Alcomist looked at his son, an eyebrow arched in a infuriatingly curious way. Alcomist shrugged and followed Colm into a different room. Xanaphia had watched Colm stew for the past day and a half, and was desperately curious to know what it was all about. THough she had a few guesses, she couldn't be sure. After a brief and intense battle with herself, Xanaphia turned into her leopard form. Crouching by the door, she could hear all that was being said. Though it was slightly muffled, by either the door or Colm's chained rage, or both, Colm was saying;

"I can't beleive you sent us out to find THOSE plants! She almost died! You would have had an innocent mortal's blood on your hands. How would you have dealt with that?"

Hey, she had another five hundered years on her life. SHe wasn't just a mortal.

"But she didnt' die." Alcomist said, in a vioce so calm that it even irritated Xanaphia.

"No thanks to you! "Pests". Oh, yeah, they're "pests" all right! She almost DIED!" Colm's barely leashed anger was weakening it's links. " I almost lost her."

Xanaphia almost choked on the breathe she had just sucked in.

"Then don't let her walk away."

Xanphia's throat iched, and the want to cough was agony. Part becuase of the choking, and partly in indignation. WHAT did he just say?

Colm, unseen by Xanaphia, narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean?" He asked, suspicion and a slight twinge of fear tightening his stomach into knots.

"You love her, don't you? Marry her." Alcomist said. As matter of fact as if he were pointing out to someone to clean their sword, or to stay out of tall trees durring a lightning storm. Colm paused, his fear, and suspision was true.

Back behind the door, Xanaphia padded off. She didn't want to hear his answer. Life had suddenly gotten to akin to the sappy romance scrolls that she'd read on rainy winter nights, when the palace was quiet. She had to go think, trying to rationalize the different things buzzing in her skull. It really might not be love at all. Close proximity for months, while dealing with this danger and that. It was the adventure of it all that was causing it. Just the adventure. Even though this seemed to make sense, somepart of her protested that it might not be adventure, after all. Pacing furiously, she pushed that part of her to the back of her mind, ignoring it for the moment. Men, after all, she thought, only had one thing firmly in their minds, and it wasn't on hers.

Or was it? A voice in her head asked, sounding annoyingly like Ferinheart's. Yes, it was the adventure. Xanaphia turned back to her elvin form and looked into the pool, she had come across in her frantic pacings. It was a deep blue, almost a purple. Like the waterfall she had gotten in so much trouble for. Her eyes almost misted over as she remembered Kian, the fourth Knight of her Mother's court. He was about her age, only a few years older, and green eyes that almost exactly matched her own. Every one had thought them the couple of the milennia. Even her mother, who was forever frowning at even the mention of suitors, didn't disagree with the idea of their marrage. Lia was forever teasing her about it. Saying things like "I'll leave the happy couple alone" whenever she found them talking together. Irritating as it was, Xanaphia always laughed it off. She was in the middle of memory lane when Colm put his arms around his waist. Xanaphia's elbow was more than halfway into it's swing towards his side before she caught herself and merely wriggled out of his grasp. Colm was about to speak, but she cut him off.

"Was that the end of the quest? Because I have somewhere I'd like to go now." Colm blew out a breath, heavy with the words he was about to have said. He nodded. He couldn't speak, but an idea popped into his head. Sometimes words were not needed. He reached into his pocket, like he had on the ship, and pulled out a ring. Xanaphia's eyes widened, and she started to stutter, but thankfully, Colm interupted her.

"It's not an engagement ring. Only, a maybe ring. Whether it's a Yes or No ring is up to you."

"Crap!" Xanaphia thought as Colm echoed the words she had heard years before. "This is SO not good!!"

Colm had left,now, to go straighten things out with the other Gods and Goddesses. When she was sure she was along, Xanaphia slumped onto a tree stump, drained. She tugged the chain out from beneath her shirt, at the end of it was another Maybe ring. She looked from the one on the chain to the one in her hand.She and Kian were friends, they got along well together. Kian had given the ring out of serimony, and becuase half the palace wouldn't get off their case until then. Colm had given the ring out of...what? Xanaphia shook her head. She got up, and splashed some water from the stream in her face. Walking through the stream, Xanaphia went to figure this very confusing situation out.

Colm, meanwhile, was pacing the front room of Alanna's house. Which was decorated, or constructed, of thousands of plants. When she finally forced him to sit down, to avoid wearing a trial in her livingroom, Colm couldn't stop fidgeting. At length, Alanna had had enough of this, too, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. Everything will work out. Why don't you go ask your father for advice, if your this nervous?"

Colm glanced at her in exasperation, then looked away.

" I can't. Ever since I turned twenty three, he's been trying to get me down the aisle. If I go to him for advice, he'll have that smirk on his face, and I can't deal with that AND this!"

Alanna nodded and watched as Colm started pacing again.

"Well, then why don't you ask some one else? Some one who knows her?"  
Colm stopped pacing. It was so obvious, that he wondered why it didn't occour to him. He then bade Alanna goodbye, and went to find Rhyan. He didn't know if he would have anything usefull to say, but the very least, the Griffyn should be kept in the loop. He found Rhyan sitting next to a rabbit hole, waiting intently. Colm cleared his throat, and he looked up.

"What?" Rhyan asked shortly, he wanted to get back to his 'hunting'.

"I wanted to ask you for help." Colm said, then told Rhyan the whole tale. The Griffyn nodded, when he was finished.  
Humans and their silly ways. He thought, then turned his attention to Colm.

"Obviously, she hasn't given an answer yet. So you can't worry yet. She might say yes, she might say no. But most likely, she needs to think this through. Leaving here would be the best thing to do is leave here. If she's busy, then she can think it through better, and you'll feel better, too."

Colm nodded. It made sense, and Xanaphia had spoken about going somewhere else. Colm decided to find her, to start back to the continent.

In the middle of a thicket, Xanaphia found herself stuck. Not only in the situation with the rings, but because a dozen different vines and branches had somehow found their way to tangle in her clothes and hair. If she could free at least one hand, or arm, she'd be able to turn leopard. But tangled as she was, it would most likely not work. A twig snapped nearby, and Xanaphia froze in her attemps to free herself. Listening, she hear someone come closer. Colm stepped beside the thicket, and looked around. If it hadn't been for her hair, he wouldn't have seen her, she was so tangled in the vines and bushes.

"Having trouble?" Colm asked, trying not to laugh.

"No. I'm...comuning with nature." Xanaphia said and turned her head to speak to the branch holding her hair hostage. "Hi, branch."  
Colm couldn't help laughing, then. Xanaphia smiled, then turned serious.

"Uh, I'm going to try to turn leopard, but I'm not sure what will happen. Are the houses far?"

Colm shook his head, "No, not far. Barely a ten minute walk." Xanaphia nodded. SHe had been walking back to the houses when the bushes had captured her.

As Colm watched, Xanaphia started to turn Leopard, then she stopped. Colm peered at her, and raised an eyebrow. He was pretty sure that wasn't supposed to happen. Xanaphia was still mostly human, or elf. Only now, she had the leopard ears, a tail, and her fingernails were retractable. Xanaphia stared at her hand.

"Oh, no." She said, so quietly that Colm could hardly hear her.

"Well, this is a problem."


	9. Hydras and H2O

Colm had decided to cut Xanaphia free, cutting the branches and vines that held her.

"Why won't you let me cut your hair? It would be easier than untangeling the brabch from it."

Xanaphia's eyes shifted and didn't answer, only took another swipe with her sharp claw-like fingernails at the vine closest to her. Another few minutes passed before she was free, she started to walk toward the houses, while untangeling her hair. She paused after a few feet. Why was she going back to the houses? She turned back to Colm.

"Where's Rhyan?" She asked. When he shrugged, she rolled her eyes, and whistled three times. Soon a crashing came from overhead as Rhyan fought his way through the canopy. Xanaphia smiled, then frowned. and felt her teeth. As sharp as a leopards.

"Oh, great." She muttered, then looked at Rhyan as he landed softly on the ground. He looked at her with as much surprise as a Griffyn was capable of. He raised an eyebrow.

"This is a new look." He commented. "I like what you've done ot your hair." Xanaphia scowled at him, while she tugged yet another vine from her hair. A twig snapped from behind them. While Rhyan and Colm turned their heads to look, Xanaphia's cat ears merely swiveled back. It was a snake. Colm was releived to see. But as Xanaphia turned to look at it, her ears went flat against her hair. Inching as close to Colm as she dared, she whispered.

"That be no viper, but a hydra." She chose her words carefully, knowing that if she said anything with a hissing "s" in it, it would allert the hydra. As Colm looked closer he saw something that puzzled him. It did not look like the hydra's he had seen. It did not have...the thought trailed off, as the second and third heads slithered out of the bushes. THis must be a tropical hydra. almost fully serpent, exept for the body, which most closely resembled that of a small dragon. It's small leathery wings fluttered. It could not fly, so they might have a chance of escape. Colm saw that Xanaphia saw this too, but she did not look so releived.

"What is the matter?" Colm asked her, "It can't fly."

She replied again in whisper. "They can fly when they are full grown. THen that be a baby, and where be the mother?" Colm had just enough time to worry about this, when they heard more snapping of twigs

Xanaphia was still trying to deal with the bizarness of being both leopard and elfen at the same time. Her tail twitched, and her ears tilted back as the Mother hydra came to gather her young. As soon as her slit pupils landed on Xanaphia, Colm and Rhyan, all three heads reared up, along with the giant Dragon body. One head struck, towards Xanaphia. She leapt out of the way, thanking the Gods that she still had her leopard speed. The second and third head struck. Xanaphia had to think. She thought she had seen the light of intelligence in it's eyes. She backed away from the young hydra. Her hands in the air, claws retracted. Showing no threat in anyway. She motioned for Rhyan and Colm to do the same, or close to it, in Rhyan's case. The Hydra looked at them, tilited the middle head to the left. When it spoke it used all three heads, it's voice both feosious, gentle, and tired at the same time.

"What are you doing?" It asked, as the middle head still tilted to one side.

Xanaphia chose to speak first. Maybe her own odd appearance would win a note of empathy from the Hydra.

"Showing that we're not a threat. Why did you attack us?"

The hydra smirked, the light of intelligence changing from the middle to the head on the left. "Three heads on one body, you think we all agree all the time? Of course not, so for each action, whichever gets the first response chooses the action." Then the light switched to the right head which glared at them in the way that one might look at an enemy. Then, before the head could do anything, the middle took controle again.

"I apologise for the rashness. Right doesn't have much in the way of practicality."

Xanaphia bowed, and escused them to go on with their walk. As she walked, Xanaphia commented, "Do you know how bizzar it is to be able to see in both color AND black and white?"

Colm and Rhyan shook their heads, still a little shaken from the Hydra attack, but Colm was quickly recovering.  
Colm couldn't help but ask, "How did you know that the hydra was a baby?" Xanaphia shrugged and said, "Instinc? I don't know, but I think I figured any way, because that looked way too small to be a full grown hydra. Her ear twitched as a fly buzzed around it. Colm smiled.

"Do you want to try turning back now?"

Xanaphia shrugged, and turned fully Leopard. She yawned and streched.

"Wow, it feels nice to be in one's fur again. She shook the rest of the leafs out of her fur, then turned back to Half-elf. Her hair was leaf-free, and she whistled cheerfully. They still had an issue on their hands, how to get Rhyan back to the continent. Colm and Xanaphia disscussed this for a short while, untill Colm had an Idea.

"Hey, Rhyan, would you mind going by wave? Aunt Neppy could arange that, and it would be easier than flying." Rhyan considered it. He didn't enjoy water, but he could handle it. He shrugged and nodded.

"Then let's go see Aunt Neppy!" Colm said, looking far happier about this than he had been to see his father.

The walked down the path, but instead of turning right to go to Alcomist's house, they turned left, then another right to the Sea Goddess. While Alcomist's house had looke sickeningly like a valintine's card, This house looked like the sea, Each room a different mood. The sunset, storm, calm summer day, mysterious and foggy. All in one house. Xanaphia's head almost swam as she looked all around. All those water colors made her uneasy. A beautiful woman, dressing in an auquamarine dress that flowed around her as if the sea breeze were tossing it about. Her make up was simple, with eyes that matched the dress, and coral lipstick. While no other woman in the world would choose sucha combination, it seemed to work for her. She welcomed Colm with open arms, while he rushed in like a child, calling "Aunty!!" Xanaphia tilted her head to the side, while The Sea Goddess welcomed Colm back. Then she turned to Xanaphia. A knowing look in her eyes.

"Ah, I see Alcomist has tried his tricks on you. Well, don't fear, he's only trying to help along what he sees as inevitable. It probably is, but he's so impatient." Nepptian stepped forward and hugged Xanaphia. She smelled of sea salt and water lillies,and her hair was a dark grey like the winter sea. Colm cleared his throat.

"Well, Aunty, we came to ask a favor. See, We have to get back to the continent, and I can Blink Xanpahia and I there, but I can't blink Rhyan there. I was wondering--" Nepptain interupted.

"You want to know if I can give him passage on the waves."

Xanaphia put her two cents in, " Only to the point to where he can fly there. It's too far to fly from here." Nepptian looked at her.

"Alright. I can do it. does he want something to sit on, like a raft? If he can hang on, I can have him there in two days."

Xanaphia looked at Rhyan. "Are you ok with this?"  
Rhyan nodded. "Two days isn't much, and then I can go back to Coppersea, and get the rodents out of my cave."

Xanaphia laughed, then looked over at the door to the house, to see a starteling person there.

Sorry that it's taken me so long to update, but four chapters in one go is pretty good, doncha think? hehehe, cliffhangers. I love them.


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